*:  lin  ■  _ ' 


I4^i't  ■' 


The-^Cradle 

OF  THE 

Presbyterian  Church 
■'t-'^™™  America^ 


■f.i\v: 


1  :»^.*     *^ 


I  -  (•  *  ^. 


I^f^-..v' 


^\^t  ®Heo%tar 


THE  PRESBYTERY 


OF 


THE  LOG  COLLEGE; 


OB, 


The  Cradle  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 

IX  AMERICA. 


BY 

THOMAS  MURPHY,  D.D., 

Pastor  op  the  Frankford  Puesbvtbriam  Church,   Philadelphia; 

Author  of  "  Pastoral  Theology,"  "  Duties  of  Ciiurch- 

Meubers  to  the  Church,"  etc. 


PIlII.ADKI.l'IIIA  : 

PRESBYTERIAN   BOARD   OF   PUBLICATION 

AND  SABBATU-SCHOOL  WORK, 

ISM  CHHSTNt'T  STREET. 


EXPLANATORY  STATEMENT. 


In  order  to  prevent  misunderstanding,  it  is  proper  to  state 
that  this  vahiable  history  is  published  by  the  Board  for  the 
Presbytery  through  the  author,  the  members  of  that  body  and 
Dr.  Murphy  defraying  the  entire  expense.  For  obvious  rea- 
sons the  Board  has  acted  on  the  rule  that  it  is  inexpedient 
for  it  to  publish  local  histories,  however  interesting  and  valu- 
able they  might  be.  But  for  the  action  of  the  Presbytery  and 
Dr.  Murphy,  this  volume,  notwithstanding  that  more  than  two- 
thirds  of  it  relates  to  the  origin  and  general  history  of  our 
Church  and  contains  much  new  and  valuable  information  per- 
taining thereto,  could  not  have  been  published  by  this  Board. 

E.  K.  Craven,  Secretary. 


Copyright,  1889, 
BY  THOMAS  MURPHY. 


All  Rights  Reserved. 


Westcott  &  Thomson, 
Stereotypers  and  Electrotypers,  Philada. 


PREFACE. 


When  the  preparation  of  this  history  was  first  contemplated 
there  was  not  a  thought  of  such  a  vohime  as  this  has  turned  out 
to  be.  The  intention  was  simply  to  produce  such  a  sketch  of 
the  Presbytery  as  could  be  contained  in  a  large  pamphlet.  My 
researches,  however,  had  not  advanced  very  far  before  it  was 
clearly  seen  impossible  to  do  this.  Tlie  merest  outline  of  a  his- 
tory covering  almost  two  centuries  and  embracing  about  three- 
score churches  would  necessarily  require  a  more  extended  work. 
The  original  plan  was  on  the  supposition  that  only  the  ordinary 
surface  events  of  history  would  be  presented,  but  prolonged  in- 
vestigations soon  revealed  that  this  Presbytery  had  a  more  pro- 
found mission  than  that  which  lay  on  the  surface,  and  that  a 
volume  at  least  would  be  needed  to  do  it  justice.  It  was  found 
that  it  had  a  leading  part  in  founding  our  Presbyterian  Church 
in  this  country  ;  that  God  had  a  sublime  scheme  in  our  history 
during  the  early  days;  and  that  there  was  contained  in  it  a 
peculiar  treasury  of  practical  experience  which  there  was  now  an 
opportunity  of  exploring,  and  which  if  neglected  would  proba- 
bly l>e  lost  for  ever.  Xo  one  of  these  points  was  foreseen  when 
the  work  was  first  contemplated,  but  each  one  of  them  was  the 
revealing  of  the  events  as  they  were  scrutinized  and  studioti 
in   their  various  relations. 

As  the  subject  revolvetl  in  my  mind  I  discovered — or,  at 
least,  believed  I  had  discovered — a  providential  plan  running 
through  the  whole  history  which  appearetl  so  manifest  and  so 


4  PREFACE. 

very  remarkable,  and  which  bound  all  the  parts  together  in  such 
logical  succession  and  so  fully  interpreted  them,  that  I  could 
not  but  adopt  it  as  real  and  as  the  central  point  around  which  I 
have  arranged  all  my  work.  That  central  point  or  idea  is  that 
God  was  here,  in  his  providence,  preparing  an  American  Presby- 
terian Church  for  this  country,  and  that  this  Presbytery  was  the 
cradle  of  its  earliest  movements.  The  successive  steps  or  stages 
of  this  divine  scheme  could  not  be  mistaken.  The  leading 
events  of  the  history  arranged  themselves  so  naturally  around 
one  or  other  of  them  that  the  process  seemed  both  logically  and 
chronologically  perfect,  and  I  could  not  escape  from  the  convic- 
tion that  there  was  of  a  truth  this  divine  plan  underlying  all. 
The  adoption  of  this  theory  of  course  makes  it  the  central  point 
of  our  whole  history.  The  preparatory  movements  looked  for- 
ward to  its  consnramation  ;  the  great  culminating  point  was  the 
organization  of  the  General  Assembly  and  of  the  National  Gov- 
ernment side  by  side,  and  all  subsequent  developments  took 
their  character  from  this.  The  exact  stages  of  the  process  were : 
(1)  The  gathering  together  of  a  people  who  had  been  prepared 
by  the  fires  of  persecution  ;  (2)  the  assuring  to  them  of  a  sound 
Calvinistic  faith ;  (3)  the  providing  for  them  a  supply  of  edu- 
cated ministers ;  (4)  the  enduing  tliem  with  an  earnest  piety  by 
a  special  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  (5)  the  sending  forth  of 
a  band  of  apostolic  men  to  disseminate  the  precious  truths  over 
the  entire  land ;  (6)  the  annealing  process  of  the  Great  Schism  ; 
(7)  the  generation  of  thirty  years  for  the  cause  to  settle  down 
firmly  and  take  root ;  (8)  the  crowning  event  of  the  organization 
of  the  National  Government  and  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Church  at  the  same  time,  in  the  same  place,  by  men  trained  in 
the  same  schools  and  on  the  same  principles. 

When  I  became  assured  of  the  reality  of  this  providential 
plan,  the  work  assumed  a  vastly  higher  aspect  of  importance,  for 
I  could  see  it  in  no  other  light  than  that  of  an  effort  to  trace 


PREFACE.  6 

the  progreas  of  tlie  divine  plan  in  an  ascertainable  portion  of  it 
which  might  be  taken  as  a  specimen  of  its  whole  scope  in  our 
entire  Church.  A\'iiile,  therefore,  I  have  followed  the  histor}'  in 
its  chronological  order,  I  have  also  carried  with  me  throughout 
its  entire  development  the  leading  idea  of  this  provitlential 
scheme,  and  shall  point  it  out  as  its  various  stages  present 
themselves. 

As  to  the  fact  of  this  locality  being  the  cradle  of  our  Cluircli, 
the  scene  of  its  formative  movements,  we  have  only  to  enumerate 
some  of  the  events  to  show  that  this  is  but  the  simple  testimony 
of  history.  Of  the  seven  providential  stcj)s  leading  to  the  cul- 
mination in  the  General  Assembly,  Jice  had  their  focus  here. 
These  were — (1)  The  aggregation  of  the  j)eople,  consisting  of  the 
Scotch-Irish,  the  Germans,  the  Welsh,  the  Hollanders  and  the 
Swiss :  more  of  some  of  them  may  have  been  found  in  other 
parts  of  tiie  land,  but  nowhere  else  was  there  such  an  aggrega- 
tion of  tlieni  all ;  (2)  the  first  institution  for  the  providing  of 
an  educateil  ministry  was  the  Log  College  here;  (3)  here  was 
the  very  centre  of  the  field  on  which  there  was  such  an  outpour- 
ing of  the  reviving  Spirit  in  the  visits  of  ^^^litefield  ;  (4)  here 
was  the  place  where  all  the  apostolic  ten  were  traincil  for  the 
work  of  disseminating  our  cause  over  the  land  ;  (5)  here,  Avhere 
was  located  the  leading  portion  of  the  original  Presbytery  of 
New  Brunswick,  were  the  most  exciting  influences  of  tiie  Old 
and  New  Light  schism — the  annealing  stage  of  the  history.  In 
several  of  the  other  Presbyteries  the  same  general  work  went 
nobly  forward  toward  its  blt>ssed  results,  but  it  was  provi- 
dentially ordered  that  the  fundamental  impulses  should  have 
their  birtiiplace  here. 

In  tracing  the  chronicles  of  the  churches  it  has  been  my  eflfort 
to  make  this  work  a  thexaurus  of  the  Presbytery.  So  far  as  the 
data  could  be  obtained,  I  have  given  the  names  and  tlates  of 
every  organization,  every  church-edifice  and  manse,  every  jiastor 


6  PREFACE. 

and  stated  supply,  every  elder,  every  seminaiy,  and  every  nota- 
ble event  connected  with  the  Presbytery  from  the  first.  Some 
of  the  data  I  could  not  obtain,  for  in  every  one  of  our  older 
churches  some  parts  of  the  records  had  been  lost.  In  order  to 
present  all  the  names,  dates  and  events  I  have  had  to  classify, 
almost  tabulate,  and  compress  to  the  utmost.  I  have  dwelt  at 
length  on  some  of  the  older  churches,  because  the  real  history  of 
the  Presbytery  was  bound  up  with  them  ;  but  little  space  has 
been  given  to  the  more  recent  ones,  because  they  have  not  yet 
had  time  to  make  much  history. 

In  such  a  multitude  of  names  and  dates  it  has  been  doubtless 
inevitable  that  there  should  be  some  omissions  and  mistakes ; 
but  very  great  care  has  been  taken,  relying  on  nothing  but  direct 
information. 

In  the  beginning  of  my  researches  it  was  discovered  that  here 
was  a  rare  opportunity  for  tracing  the  various  aspects  of  church- 
life,  both  good  and  bad,  in  the  present  day,  for  testing  our  Pres- 
byterianism  by  its  effects  and  for  gathering  up  the  teachings  of 
experience.  Never,  probably,  in  the  whole  history  of  the 
Chulch,  was  there  a  better  opportunity  than  was  furnished  here, 
in  the  length  of  the  time,  in  the  extent  of  the  territory — wide 
enough  for  the  experiment,  and  yet  not  too  wide  to  be  easily 
comprehended — and  in  the  character  and  surroundings  of  the 
people.  I  have  made  no  practical  inferences  during  the  progress 
of  the  work,  in  order  that  there  might  be  a  riper  testimony  at 
the  close  of  all.  Of  course,  I  could  not,  within  any  reasonable 
limits,  adduce  all  such  teachings  as  might  be  very  easily  gath- 
ered, but  I  have  all  the  most  important  of  them.  The  lessons  I 
have  presented  have  not  been  derived  from  the  teachings  of 
Scripture,  nor  from  the  testimony  of  eminent  believers,  nor  from 
my  own  previous  convictions,  but  purely  from  the  facts  of  this 
history.  Not  one  of  them  but  is  based  on  many  such  character- 
istic facts  which  I  could  very  easily  adduce.     I  have  made  this 


PREFACE.  7 

the  last,  but,  I  am  sure,  not  the  least  valuable,  feature  of  my 
work.  I  ask  special  attention  to  this  closing  chapter  as  one  of 
those  which  may  be  studied  with  the  greatest  profit.  If  we 
could  trace  the  exj)erience  of  the  whole  Church,  as  we  can  to 
such  an  unusual  degree  in  this  history,  we  would  find  that 
God's  guiding  providence  and  covenant  mercy,  his  truth  and 
his  care,  are  just  as  surely  and  as  directly  with  his  jieople 
this  present  day  as  they  were  in  the  days  of  Moses. 

This  work  could  not  have  been  accomplished  without  the  very 
abundant  information  which  was  kindly  collected  for  me  from 
their  records  by  the  pastors  of  all  the  churches,  nor  without  the 
great  aid  I  have  received  from  the  Rev.  D.  K.  Turner,  secretary 
of  the  Presbyterian  Historical  Society  and  author  of  the  history 
of  the  Neshaniiny  Church  ;  from  tlie  Rev.  Willard  M.  Rice, 
D.  D.,  Stated  Clerk  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  who, 
in  consequence  of  his  long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
records,  the  churches  and  the  men,  is  no  doubt  the  best  living 
authority  concerning  the  history  of  Presbyterianism  in  Philadel- 
phia and  vicinity  ;  and  from  the  Rev.  Joseph  Beggs,  D.  D., 
Stated  Clerk  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North,  the  Rev. 
Charles  Collins,  D.  D.,  and  many  otliers. 

May  the  Church's  exalted  Head  take  tliis  humble  etfort  to 
delineate  his  footsteps  through  this  portion  of  liis  kingdom  and 
bless  it,  so  that  it  shall  be  effectual  in  awakening  a  greater  love 
to  the  cau.se  and  a  more  adoring  wonder  at  liis  infinite  great- 
ness and  goodness  to  his  redeemed  people ! 

Philadelphia,  December,  1888. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Study  of  the  History 11 

CHAPTER  II. 
Characteristics  of  the  Presbytery 18 

CHAPTER  III. 
Germs  from  Which  it  Grew 23 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  History  in  Detail 43 

CHAPTER  V. 
Formative  Period,  1705-1788 57 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Formative  Period  {Conlinued) :  The  Loo  College 66 

CHAPTER   VII. 
Formative  Period  (Continued):  Visit  of  Whitefield 132 

CHAPTER  VHI. 
Formative  Period  (Cbn^mu«/) :  Tiik  Oi.n  Asn  New  Light  Schism.  1.>5 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Formative  Period  (Continued) 193 

CHAPTER   X. 
Period  of  the  General  Assembly 300 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Period  of  the  Second  Presbytery,  1833-1338 340 

9 


10  "  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

PAGE 

Period  of  Separation,  1838-1870 351 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Period  of  Reunion 407 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Progress  in  the  Presbytery's  Life 433 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Teachings  of  the  Ninescobe  Years 440 


MAP  OF   THE  TERRITORY   OF   THE   PRESBYTERY   OF   PHILADELPHIA   NORTH. 


THE 

PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 


CHAPTER    I. 

STUDY  OF   THE  HISTORY. 
WHY    WE    WRITE    IT. 

Why  do  we  commemorate  the  ages  of  our  Presl)y- 
tery  and  write  the  history  of  the  way  in  which  God  has 
led  us  ?  Because  great  is  the  gratitude  we  owe  him  for 
having  continued  so  long  this  branch  of  his  Zion  and 
for  having  favored  it  with  such  a  measure  of  prosperity  ; 
because  the  completion  of  nearly  two  centuries  of  the 
history  of  a  body  of  churches  is  a  great  event  in  itself; 
because  there  is  a  wholesome  curiosity  tliat  would  carry 
us  back  into  the  past  and  lusk  such  questions  as, 
"  Whence  these  institutions  we  enjoy  which  have 
grown  so  venerable  from  age?"  "Who  established 
these  churches  ?"  "  Who  and  what  were  those  godly 
fathers  of  whom  we  hear  so  much  ?"  "  Who  awakened 
those  sanctifying  influences  which  are  such  blessings  to 
us  at  the  present  day  ?"  because  we  owe  too  much  to 
these  men  who  have  sent  down  to  us  the  heritage  we 
now  possess  to  forget  them.  We  would  sjive  their  hon- 
ored names  from  sinking  into  oblivion.  They  prayed 
and  toiled  and  suffered  for  us,  and  we  must  not  let  their 
memory  perish  from  earth. 

We  would  learn  to  prize  more  highly  the  blessings 

11 


12  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

which  have  been  secured  for  us  in  our  churches,  with 
their  ordinances  unimpaired,  their  doctrines  uncor- 
rupted  and  their  testimony  for  the  truth  unbroken  for 
one  hundred  and  eighty-three  years.  We  would  rise  to 
the  appreciation  of  what  has  been  done  for  us  and  given 
to  us.  We  would  awake  to  the  responsibility  which 
rests  upon  us  to  transmit  to  future  ages  this  heritage, 
now  so  goodly  and  flourishing.  We  would  receive  a 
deeper  impression  of  the  solemn  fact  that  no  man,  that 
no  association  of  men,  does,  or  can,  live  to  self  alone. 
We  are  component  elements  of  the  great  chain  of  in- 
fluences which  stretches  unbroken  from  eternity  to  eter- 
nity. And  we  would  trace  the  orderings  of  God's 
providence  in  the  history  of  this  Presbytery  during 
the  almost  two  centuries  which  have  passed.  We  would 
follow  God's  footsteps  in  his  providence,  in  the  ways  of 
his  government  and  in  the  character  of  the  ordinances 
which  he  has  appointed.  We  would  mark  the  great 
epochs  which  measure  the  past  journey  of  the  Pres- 
bytery. We  would  dwell  upon  its  progress  from  very 
small  beginnings  to  what  it  is  to-day. 

WHAT    WE   WOULD    COMMEMORATE. 

In  undertaking  this  work  it  is  not  our  intention  to 
dwell  upon  the  general  history  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  except  at  the  single  points  where  it  touches 
that  of  our  Presbytery  :  to  do  so  would  open  a  field 
far  too  wide  for  our  present  purpose.  Neither  can  we 
dwell  very  fully  upon  the  history  of  each  individual 
church.     The  merest  outline  is  all  that  we  can  attempt. 

Not  this  do  we  undertake,  but  we  would  endeavor  to 
trace  the  chief  elements  which,  commingling  in  its  his- 
tory, have  made  our  Presbytery  what  it  is  to-day.  We 
would  study  the  influences  and  impulses  which  have 


STUDY  OF  THE  HISTORY.  13 

shaped  its  career  and  led  to  its  present  standing.  "NVe 
would  look  upon  its  first  great  movements,  and  then 
follow  them  to  their  ultimate  results.  We  would  recall 
the  names  and  blessed  deeds  of  some  of  the  many  great 
and  good  men,  ministers,  elders  and  families,  which  are 
to  be  found  on  the  roll  of  our  churches.  We  would 
enumerate  the  institutions  of  learning  that  have  been 
nurseries  of  our  system  of  religion  fis  well  as  of  learn- 
ing— institutions  which  have  been  jiervaded  by  such 
Christian  influences  as  have  made  them  inestimable 
blessings  to  the  children  of  our  Presbytery.  We  would 
dwell  upon  those  momentous  events  which  have  meas- 
ured and  shaped  its  progress,  and  thus  would  we  trace 
that  progress  of  our  churches  from  the  very  small  be- 
ginnings of  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  years  ago 
until  we  are  permitted  to  rejoice  in  their  present  num- 
ber and  influence.  Above  all,  would  we  gather  up 
into  one  comprehensive  view  the  deeply  important  les- 
sons of  experience  so  abundantly  taught  by  our  history, 
so  fresh  and  so  real.  These  lessons  come  to  us  as  true 
and  as  earnest  as  if  they  had  been  positively  demon- 
strated. To  trace  all  these  points,  and  to  define  their 
relations  and  influences,  will  be  a  work  that  necessarily 
must  be  profitable.  They  are  all  involved  in  our  Pres- 
bytery's history.  They  must  be  touched  if  its  study 
shall  be  of  any  value.  Though  they  are  so  many  and 
so  diverse,  none  of  them  can  be  omitted. 

HOW    WE    WOULD    WRITE. 

Such  is  the  substance  of  what  we  would  embrace  in 
the  study  upon  which  we  have  entered.  The  man- 
ner in  which  we  pursue  that  study  is  also  a  matter 
of  great  importance  in  our  work.  Our  treatment  of 
the  various  subjects   which    shall  come  under    review 


14  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

must  necessarily  be  very  brief.  To  enter  fully  into  the 
biographies  of  its  many  eminent  men  and  into  the  an- 
nals of  all  its  churches  would  require  many  volumes 
instead  of  the  one  to  which  we  must  necessarily  be  con- 
fined. We  can  do  little  more  than  enumerate,  connect 
and  explain  the  various  points  which  must  be  included. 

At  the  same  time,  our  work  would  be  of  but  little 
value  did  we  not  make  it  so  comprehensive  as  to  em- 
brace all  the  leading  points  of  our  history,  all  the 
churches  of  which  our  Presbytery  has  been  composed, 
the  eminent  men  associated  with  it  and  the  great  lessons 
it  teaches.  Our  aim  is  to  make  it  a  thesaurus  to  which 
in  the  future  there  may  be  reference.  In  order  to  do 
so  we  must  verify  every  fact  by  reference  to  undoubted 
authorities,  and  not  indulge  in  mere  conjectures  or 
speculations.  This  will  require  that  we  often  quote 
authorities,  and  that  sometimes  at  considerable  length. 

But  not  facts  alone  must  come  under  our  review. 
These  facts  must  be  considered  in  their  relation  to  each 
other,  their  connection  and  influence,  so  that  they  shall 
work  themselves  into  a  sort  of  sacred  philosophy  of  our 
history.  Otherwise  they  would  be  of  but  little  interest 
and  their  study  of  but  little  importance. 

Then  all  must  be  looked  upon  as  the  gracious  and 
sublime  movements  of  God's  providence  with  reference 
to  this  portion  of  his  divine  kingdom.  The  ultimate 
purposes  to  be  wrought  out  by  the  whole  history  were 
of  his  ordaining  ;  he  touched  the  secret  springs  which 
produced  each  passing  event ;  his  glory  was  the  great 
consummation  which  was  to  be  reached  by  all. 

SOURCES    OF    OUR   INFORMATION. 

It  will  not  be  mere  ostentation  in  the  author  to  name 
some  of  the  authorities  from  which  he  has  gathered  the 


STUDY'  OF  THE  HISTORY.  15 

facts  upon  which  tliis  outline  of  our  history  is  founded. 
More  confidence  will  be  felt  and  its  importance  will  be 
more  clearly  seen  when  these  are  known  and  appre- 
ciated. Besides,  an  important  end  will  be  gained  if 
others  may  be  prompted  to  engage  in  the  same  study, 
and  then  the  list  will  be  of  great  value  as  indicating  the 
sources  from  which  such  information  may  be  gathered. 
It  would  have  relieved  the  writer  from  much  trouble 
could  he  have  had  such  guidance  in  gathering  the 
material  for  this  work. 

(1)  The  first  and  fullest  treasury  is,  of  course,  the 
3Iinutes  of  the  Presbytery.  These  have  been  very  care- 
fully kept  since  the  year  1833,  when  the  "  Second  Pres- 
bvterv  "  was  formed,  and  are  furnished  with  an  admi- 
rable  index  in  the  margin.  In  the  four  large  volumes 
all  the  most  material  facts  are  to  be  found.  (2)  The 
second  and  an  exceedingly  valuable  source  of  informa- 
tion has  been  that  furnished  by  all  the  pastors  now  in 
the  Presbytery,  who,  in  response  to  the  request  of  the 
writer,  collected  from  their  various  Sessional  records 
the  leading  facts  and  dates  of  their  churches'  histories. 
Every  one  of  them  cheerfully — and  in  some  cases  with 
much  labor — prepared  and  sent  him  such  outline. 
The  result  is  a  mass  of  invaluable  information  which 
will  be  carefully  preserved,  even  though  only  the  lead- 
ing points  of  it  can  be  used  in  our  very  brief  sketch. 

(3)  The  Minutes  of  the  First  Presbytery,  Synods 
and  General  Assembly,  both  Old  School  and  New, 
come  next  in  fullness  and  authority.  The  volumes 
containing  these  minutes,  collected  first  by  Dr.  En- 
gles,  and  afterward  by  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  E.  ^loore, 
are  an  enduring  treasure  for  all  who  love  our  Ciiurch. 

(4)  The  Minutes  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia 
have  furnished  much  valuable  information  which  could 


16  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

be  found  nowhere  else.  (5)  In  many  of  the  older 
churches  there  have  been  monographs  prepared  which 
give  almost  all  that  is  material  in  individual  congrega- 
tions. Every  one  of  our  churches  should  by  all  means 
prepare  and  preserve  such  history,  whether  printed  or 
not.  (6)  The  History  of  the  Log  College,  by  Dr. 
Archibald  Alexander,  contains  a  most  admirable  ac- 
count of  that  institution,  which  had  the  most  potent 
influence  in  giving  character  to  our  Presbytery.  (7) 
In  the  first  volume  of  the  exceedingly  full  and  accurate 
History  of  the  College  of  Neio  Jersey,  by  Hev.  Dr.  John 
Maclean,  who  was  so  long  its  honored  president,  we  have 
a  most  satisfactory  account  of  our  early  Presbyteries  and 
Synods,  and  of  the  influence  of  the  Log  College  in  the 
establishment  of  Princeton  College.  (8)  In  the  His- 
tories of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  by  Dr.  Chas.  Hodge, 
Dr.  Webster  and  Dr.  Gillett,  we  have  valuable  infor- 
mation concerning  the  Calvinistic  Welsh  element  in 
our  early  formation,  and  other  points.  (9)  The  excel- 
lent book  of  Rev.  Douglas  K.  Turner  on  the  History 
of  Neshaminy  Church  is  by  far  the  most  valuable  work 
we  have  seen  on  that  element  of  our  history  which  is 
called  the  Scotch-Irish,  and  which  held  the  first  place 
in  our  origin.  (10)  The  Rev.  Dr.  Willard  M.  Rice 
a  few  years  ago  prepared  a  paper  for  the  press  on 
the  Beginnings  of  Preshyterianism  in  Philadelphia, 
which  finely  covers  all  that  branch  of  our  original  his- 
tory. (11)  In  The  Tercentenary  Book  there  are  three 
papers  which  have  rendered  us  very  great  assistance — 
one  by  Rev.  Dr.  McCosh,  one  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.  Dales, 
and  especially  the  one  by  Rev.  Dr.  R.  M.  Patterson 
on  "  Presbyterianism  in  Philadelphia ;"  also  its  In- 
troduction by  Dr.  McCosh.  (12)  Rev.  Dr.  Corwan, 
pastor  of    the   Reformed   (Dutch)    church   of  Somer- 


STUDY  OF  THE  HISTORY.  17 

ville,  New  Jersey,  has  published  a  volume  which  con- 
tains the  best  account  with  which  we  are  acquainted 
of  the  German  Calvinistic  preachers  who  planted  some 
of  the  churches  which  are  now  ours.  (13)  In  the 
Market  Square  church's  old  German  registers  of  mar- 
riages and  baptisms  are  found  names  of  ministers  and 
members  and  families  that  have  given  hints  and  opened 
the  way  to  trains  of  research  which  have  been  deeply 
important.  (14)  We  may  also  refer  to  a  sketch  of  the 
planting  of  the  German  Calvinistic  Church  in  a  portion 
of  our  territory  which  the  writer  prepared  recently  for 
the  centennial  celebration  of  his  own  Church,  in  connec- 
tion with  which  there  are  also  suggestive  papers  by  Dr. 
Hodge,  Dr.  McCosh  and  Judge  Joseph  Allison.  (15) 
In  a  very  extensive  correspondence  with  living  represen- 
tatives of  many  of  our  old  families  and  with  others  we 
have  gained  much  information  concerning  the  eminent 
and  godly  men  who  have  adorned  our  history.  (16) 
From  traditions  of  the  past  and  from  the  memories  of 
aged  persons  we  have  gathered  much  which  has  either 
corroborated  other  statements  or  led  to  special  investi- 
gations which  have  proved  fruitful  of  results.  (17)  In 
the  Schajf-Herzog  Encydopccdia  we  have  found  articles 
by  Dr.  Hatfield  and  by  Dr.  Gillett  which  have  given 
us  much  valuable  information.  From  these  and  many 
other  unexpected  sources  the  material  has  come  which 
we  have  wrought  up  into  these  pages. 

In  addition  to  the  reasons  already  given,  we  enume- 
rate these  authorities  so  fully  because  in  themselves 
they  constitute  a  part  of  our  history.  The  very  history 
of  these  is  itself  instructive  to  those  who  would  know 
all  that  God  has  done  for  us. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERY. 

The  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North  is  one  whose 
mission  and  history  are  very  much  more  important 
than  even  its  own  members  have  been  wont  to  consider. 
Certainly  its  historical  importance  has  never  been  suf- 
ficiently esteemed  or  written  of.  We  are  not  sure  that 
there  is  another  Presbytery  in  connection  with  our  Gen- 
eral Assembly  that  surpasses  it  in  the  influence  it  has 
exerted.  It  ranks  with  New  Castle  and  Carlisle  in  the 
great  work  they  accomplished  in  the  early  days  of  our 
country  and  Church,  and  it  awakened  some  influences 
peculiarly  its  own.  There  may  be  those  which  have  a 
more  commanding  influence  at  the  present  time,  but  we 
must  consider  its  past  history  and  the  influences  it  has 
awakened  during  its  course  in   making  this  estimate. 

We  have  not  used  the  motive  furnished  by  that  great 
history  of  the  pa&t  as  an  incitement  to  more  earnest  zeal 
so  much  as  we  should.  God  has  blessed  us  by  enabling 
us  to  accomplish  a  vast  work  amid  the  sisterhood  of 
our  churches.  We  have  a  heritage  the  value  of  which 
we  have  never  suitably  realized. 

The  age  of  our  Presbytery  is  such  as  to  clothe  it 
with  great  influence.  That  age  is  a  power.  It  formed 
the  chief  portion  of  the  original'  Presbytery,  and  is 
thus  a  principal  branch  of  the  first  Presbytery  that 
was  ever  organized  on  this  continent.  If  we  fix  uj:)on 
the  year  1705,  the  year  when  it  was  organized,  as  our 
starting-point,  we  have  one  hundred  and  eighty-three 

18 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERY.  19 

years  over  which  to  rejoice.  What  a  splendid  retro- 
spect in  this  new  country  !  In  this  we  stand  ahsolutely 
pre-eminent.  The  date  of  the  formation  of  tlie  Pres- 
bytery was  only  about  fifty  years  substMjuont  U>  tin' 
Westminster  Assembly.  From  its  early  formation  it 
was  inspired  by  the  spirit  of  the  persecuted  from  other 
lands  who  flocked  hither,  and  it  had  wrought  into  it  the 
animating  influences  of  the  traditions  of  the  purest 
and  best  of  the  early  days. 

ITS   LOCATION. 

Its  location  is  another  peculiarity  of  the  Presbytery 
for  which  we  should  be  most  grateful.  Of  a  truth,  the 
lines  have  fallen  to  us  in  pleasant  places  and  we  have 
a  goodly  heritage.  Being  in  the  vicinity  of  what  for 
more  than  a  century  was  the  largest  city  of  the  land, 
where  our  National  Government  and  Constitution  had 
their  birth — in  the  place  where  we  may  claim  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  mother- Presbytery — almost  in  the 
geographic,  and  altogether  in  the  civil,  centre  of  the 
country, — our  influence  could  and  did  spread  out  West, 
South  and  North.  From  this  position  the  Presbytery 
has  always  had  the  advantage  of  being  able  to  exert  a 
very  great  influence.  In  close  proximity  to  the  city 
which  was  the  centre  of  the  population  of  the  land,  as 
well  as  the  centre  of  the  vast  immigration  of  Scotch- 
Irish,  Germans,  Welsh  and  others,  it  was  forced  by  its 
very  location  into  early  and  active  evangelistic  move- 
ments. By  the  place  it  occupied  it  had  unequaled  ad- 
vantages for  the  fulfillment  of  its  holy  mission.  From 
these  things  it  came  to  pass  that  it  had  an  influential 
part  in  the  formation  of  our  Presbyterianism,  which  in 
turn  rendered  much  aid  in  shaping  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States. 


20  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO  COLLEGE. 


ITS    EMINENT   MEN    AND    EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS. 

Our  history  is  also  an  important  one  from  the  fact 
that  many  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  early  day, 
godly  ministers,  elders  and  private  members  of  our 
Church,  had  their  home  and  training  for  intelligent 
piety  and  usefulness  in  this  Presbytery.  What  pious, 
earnest,  learned  and  wise  men  were  amongst  those  who 
laid  our  foundations  !  Blessed  servants  of  God  from  the 
North  of  Ireland,  from  the  land  of  Calvin,  of  Knox, 
of  Edwards,  were  many  of  them,  and  the  cause  of 
Christ  was  uppermost  in  their  hearts.  The  spirit  of 
devoted  self-sacrifice  which  brought  them  here  was  such 
as  to  carry  them  forward  to  the  most  blessed  results. 
The  example  and  the  toils  of  such  men  did  much  to 
make  our  Church  what  it  is. 

There  is  also  a  great  interest  attaching  to  this  Pres- 
bytery from  the  institutions  of  Christian  learning  with- 
in its  borders,  wherein  thousands  received  that  religious 
training  which  made  them  honored  and  useful  in  their 
day.  Among  such  institutions  were  the  Log  College, 
whose  unostentatious  work  has  never  been  fully  written ; 
Lafayette  College,  Oakland  Female  Institute,  and  the 
German  schools  of  Pauli  and  Dubbendorf,  the  gradu- 
ates of  which,  with  their  descendants,  have  overspread 
the  whole  country. 

MOTHER   OF    CHURCHES. 

For  still  another  and  very  important  thing  did  our 
Presbytery  for  many  a  year  stand  pre-eminent.  In 
the  early  spring-time  of  the  year  we  have  seen  garden- 
ers sowing  in  hot-beds  seeds  of  flowers  and  vegetables, 
and  then,  when  the  tender  sprouts  had  grown  sujSiciently 
strong  and  the  weather  had  become  sufficiently  warm, 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERY.  21 

they  would  transfer  the  young  plants  to  other  local- 
ities, where  they  would  have  room  tor  full  growth.  Bo 
has  the  great  Hushandman  dealt  with  this  Presbytery. 
As  in  a  warm,  rich  bed  he  sowed  the  seeds  of  truth  in 
this  section,  peopled  with  the  learned  and  godly  from 
other  countries,  and  then  in  due  time  he  tran.^fcrred 
the  spiritual  plants  to  broader  fields  throughout  the 
land.  An  important  mission  of  this  Presbytery  has 
been  to  prepare  the  people  who  would  establish 
churches  in  other  regions  of  the  country.  Its  sons  and 
daughters  have  gone  out  in  every  direction,  and  have 
planted  new  congregations  wherever  they  went.  They 
have  gone  into  every  region  of  Pennsylvania,  into  the 
valleys  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi,  into  Virginia 
and  the  Carolinas,  and  into  many  other  regions  West 
and  South,  and  have  borne  with  them  everywhere  the 
spirit  of  our  Presbytery,  its  experiences  and  its  insti- 
tutions, and  there  they  have  planted  them,  and  they 
have  flourished  ever  since. 

THE    DISCIPLINE   IT    HAS   RECEIVED. 

In  all  the  way  through  which  God  has  led  this  Pres- 
bytery he  was  evidently  preparing  it  for  an  imjwrtant 
work.  In  all  its  varied  course,  whether  through  the 
sunshine  and  the  showers  of  its  many  summers  or 
through  the  cold  and  tempests  of  its  sad  wintei-s,  he  was 
no  doubt  preparing  it  for  a  great  mission  of  usefulness. 
Not  only  by  the  ordinary  vicissitudes  of  its  more  than 
ninescore  years,  not  only  by  the  splendid  array  of 
great  and  good  men  whom  he  raised  up  in  its  service, 
not  only  by  the  influence  of  its  many  schools  of  sancti- 
fied learning,  and  not  only  by  the  rich,  ripe  experiences 
it  accumulated  through  the  generations  of  its  course, 
but  also  by  a  special  training,  he  was  preparing  it  for  a 


22  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

great  work  of  his  gracious  ordaining.  In  blessed  sea- 
sons of  great  revivals  which  he  granted,  the  Presbytery 
grew  rapidly  in  the  strength  of  its  ministers  and  in  the 
ardor  and  zeal  of  its  members.  Such  times  of  rapid 
growth  and  power  were  granted  in  the  days  of  Edwards 
and  Whitefield,  at  the  close  of  the  sad  Old  and  New 
Light  schism,  after  the  dreadful  financial  crisis  in  1857, 
and  at  many  other  periods.  God  was  thereby  provid- 
ing the  numbers  and  the  graces  which  were  needed  for 
his  appointed  work. 

But  there  was  also  a  harsher  discipline  required  :  a 
more  stern  and  unyielding  power  was  necessary  for 
the  work  of  the  kingdom.  Hence  sad  strifes  in  sev- 
eral of  the  churches  and  schisms  and  divisions  in  the 
Presbytery  were  permitted  to  rage.  At  first  we  see  in 
these  but  the  unyielding  firmness  of  men  who  were 
deeply  in  earnest  about  the  interests  of  their  souls  and 
the  honor  of  their  God.  But  the  Master  had  a  higher 
purpose  in  permitting  them.  He  was  disciplining  his 
Church  for  a  mightier  work.  Like  the  robust  oak,  her 
roots  were  sinking  deeper  and  her  arms  becoming 
stronger  and  stronger  by  wrestling  with  the  tempests. 
This  explains  the  mystery  of  the  first  great  schism,  the 
subsequent  disruption  and  the  many  melancholy  con- 
tentions in  individual  churches. 

Add  to  all  this  the  fresh  rich  lessons  of  experience 
which  our  annals  furnish,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  there 
is  little  danger  of  over-estimating  the  lot  which  has 
been  providentially  assigned  us  and  the  work  which 
has  been  put  into  our  hands 


CHAPTER  III. 
OERMS  FROM   WHICH  IT  GREW. 

The  first  stage  in  God's  providential  plan  of  prepar- 
ing an  American  Presbyterian  Church  for  America 
was  the  gathering  together  of  the  people  who  would 
form  it.  The  character  of  these  had  a  very  great  influ- 
ence on  what  this  Church  afterward  became.  There 
are  specialties  of  Christian  life  and  character  in  every 
religious  association.  No  two  of  them  are  precisely 
alike  in  their  tone  of  piety,  modes  of  worship  and  man- 
ner of  woi'k,  even  when  their  principles  and  doc- 
trines are  the  same.  Then,  all  these  are  more  or  less 
influenced  by  the  bias  they  at  first  receive.  The  orig- 
inal characteristics  which  marked  them  are  never  ut- 
terly lost.  Hence  the  great  importance  of  ascertaining 
the  first  impulses  which  entered  into  their  formation. 

In  our  Presbytery  there  were  three  distinct  elements 
which  can  be  historically  traced  as  having  given  it  its 
character : 

(1)  The  first  and  most  influential  was  the  Scotch- 
Irish,  which  sprung  from  the  Log  College  and  the 
great  and  good  men  connected  therewith,  and  from  im- 
migration. (2)  The  second  was  the  German  Calvinistic, 
introduced  by  missionaries  of  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam 
and  by  devout  immigrants  from  Switzerland,  (o)  The 
third  consisted  of  orthodox  minister  and  families  who 
at  a  later  day  removed  into  this  region  from  New 
England.     There    were   still   other   elements,    but   of 

1% 


24  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

minor  influence,  which  it  will  devolve  upon  us  to  no- 
tice and  distinguish,  such  as  the  earnest  Christians 
who  came  to  us  from  Wales,  from  Old  England  and 
from  the  Quakers.  All  these  can  be  distinctly  traced. 
Each  of  them  contributed  some  element  to  the  char- 
acter of  our  Christian  life.  Each  of  them  must  there- 
fore receive  a  separate  consideration. 

THE   SCOTCH-IKISH. 

The  first  and  most  important  is  the  Scotch-Irish 
element.  This  element  entered  into  the  original 
composition  of  our  Presbytery  from  two  sources — 
from  the  Forks  of  the  Delaware  and  the  Log  College, 
and  from  immigration  into  Philadelphia  and  its 
neighborhood  from   the  North  of  Ireland. 

The  influence  of  the  Log  College  in  planting  our 
Church  throughout  the  neighborhood  in  which  it  was 
located  has  never  been  even  proximately  appreciated. 
On  its  general  influence  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander  was  :  "  This  humble  institution  was  not  only 
the  germ  of  Princeton  College,  but  of  several  other  col- 
leges which  have  risen  to  higli  estimation  in  this  coun- 
try— among  them,  Jefferson  College,  Hampden-Sidney 
College  and  Washington  College  in  Virginia.  And 
we  need  not  stop  here,  for  these  in  turn  have  given  rise 
to  many  other  schools  and  colleges."  Then,  how  shall 
we  duly  estimate  the  institution  which  educated  such 
men  as  the  Tennents,  the  Blairs,  the  Smiths,  the  Rogers 
and  the  Beatties  ?  Chief  among  them  were  the  learned, 
pious  and  earnest  sons  of  the  Rev.  William  Tennent, 
the  founder — Gilbert,  William,  John  and  Charles — 
great  men  and  great  preachers  all.  Through  the 
labors  of  these  and  others  like  them  all  our  churches  of 
that  region,  such  as  Bensalem,  Neshaminy,  Deep  Run, 


GERMS  FROM   WHICH  IT  GREW.  26 

Newtown,  Abington  nnd  others,  constituting  at  first 
more  than  half  the  Presbytery,  were  founded.  We 
give  now  this  general  fact,  without  entering  into  the 
question  of  priority  among  the  churches  themselves,  for 
which  we  have  not  space.  All  these  were  as  sound  in 
faith  and  as  solid  in  life  and  practice  as  Calvin  himself 
Moreover,  next  to  religion  they  placed  a  jiure  educa- 
tion, and  beside  the  church  they  always  erected  the 
school  and  academy  wherever  they  were  providentially 
led  to  take  up  their  habitation. 

The  other  Scotch-Irish  element  in  the  origin  of  our 
Presbytery  was  furnished  by  the  immigration  of  Pres- 
byterians from  the  North  of  Ireland  into  Philadelphia 
and  its  neighborhood.  These  immigrants  brought  with 
them  their  religion,  their  Church  and  their  creed. 
They  had  suffered  too  much  for  their  faith  to  allow  it 
to  be  lost.  Who  they  were  is  well  described  by  Dr. 
McCosh  in  his  Tercentenary  speech  :  "  The  Irish  Pres- 
byterian Church  is  the  oldest  and  fairest  of  the  daugh- 
ters of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  The  American  Presby- 
terian Church  will  not  forget  that  it  is  through  the 
Irish  Church  she  claims  descent  from  that  Church 
which  is  the  mother  of  us  all." 

The  immigration  of  these  Irish  Presbyterians  was 
very  great  at  the  time  when  our  Presbytery  was  crys- 
talizing  into  its  permanent  form.  In  the  year  1736 
one  thousand  families  sailed  from  Belfast,  and  on  Sept. 
9th  in  that  year  one  hundred  of  these  families,  all  Pres- 
byterians, arrived  in  Philadelphia.  Said  the  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Blair,  in  a  letter  of  1744,  "  All  our  congregations 
in  Pennsylvania  except  two  or  three  chiefly  are  made 
up  of  people  from  Ireland."  Such  large  numl)er3, 
settling  in  and  around  Philadelphia,  with  wliit-h  then 
as  now  our  Presbytery  was  intermingled,  would  greatly 


26  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

strengthen  existing  churches  as  well  as  lay  the  founda- 
tions of  new  ones. 

This  gave  an  important  impulse  to  the  cause  at  that 
early  day.  These  two  branches  of  the  Scotch-Irish — 
that  is,  those  who  came  at  an  earlier  time,  settling  at 
the  Forks  of  the  Delaware,  and  the  multitudes  who 
came  later  and  settled  at  New  Castle,  Philadelphia  and 
vicinity — necessarily  formed  the  chief  ingredient  in  the 
infant  Presbytery.  Mingling  in  the  whole  community 
and  at  both  extremities  of  our  territory,  they  gave  tone 
and  character  to  the  entire  body.  Then  the  chief  char- 
acteristics which  they  imparted  were  soundness  of  doc- 
trine, intelligence  of  faith  and  steadfastness  to  their 
convictions.  These  features  they  impressed  so  deeply 
that  they  have  never  been  effaced.  We  claim  them 
still,  and  rejoice  with  thankfulness  that  serious  error 
has  never  been  permitted  to  intrude  to  deface  the 
glorious  heritage  with  which  we  have  been  entrusted. 
Only  once  in  the  forty  years  of  the  writer's  connection 
with  the  body  can  he  recall  one  word  of  heresy  as 
coming  from  a  preacher  in  all  our  bounds. 

GERMAN    CALVINISTIC    ELEMENT. 

The  next  ingredient  which  entered  into  the  compo- 
sition of  our  Presbytery  came  from  the  Palatinate  of 
Germany,  from  Switzerland  and  from  Holland.  The 
name  which  they  claimed  for  themselves  was  that  of 
German  Calvinists.  This  ingredient  has  never  re- 
ceived that  distinct  and  emphatic  recognition  which  it 
deserves.  An  important  portion  of  our  territory — 
namely,  Germantown,  Frankford  and  the  surrounding 
country — was  settled  by  this  people.  The  names  of 
some  of  the  families  which  have  descended  from  them 
will  sufficiently  indicate  their  origin.      Among   such 


GERMS  FROM  WHICH  IT  GREW.  27 

names  we  find  tliose  of  Zollinger,  Bockius,  Godfried, 
Leist,  Myer,  Mowrer,  Zebley,  Neswinger,  Slieetz, 
Schmid,  Mag,  Bleek,  Seheibly,  Foulkrod,  Ulric  Neff, 
Castor,  Geisse,  Froelich,  Bender  and  many  others. 
Such  were  familiar  and  cherished  names  in  the  old 
congregations  wherein  these  truly  devout  people  were 
found. 

Their  ministers  were  learned,  great  and  good  men. 
Most  of  them  were  missionaries  who  had  been  sent 
out  by  the  Dutch  Reformed  Classis  of  Amsterdam  to 
preach  the  gospel  which  they  dearly  loved.  Having 
learned  and  loved  and  suffered  for  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Christ  Jesus,  at  home  in  the  land  of  Luther,  of  Calvin 
and  of  AVilliam  of  Orange,  they  came  to  publish  it  in 
this  New  World  of  the  far  West.  From  the  fertile 
fields  of  Holland,  from  the  beautiful  banks  of  the 
Rhine  and  from  old  Basel  in  Switzerland  they  came 
bearing  with  them  the  precious  doctrines  which  had 
been  so  clearly  defined  in  Geneva,  and  they  planted 
them  in  some  of  the  very  churches  which  have  been 
committed  to  our  care. 

These  devout  missionaries  have  not  been  honored  as 
their  invaluable  services  deserved.  Because  perhaps  of 
the  name  German  attached  to  them,  and  because  others 
of  more  eminence  using  our  own  language  have  in 
modern  days  taken  their  place,  they  have  been  per- 
mitted almost  to  fall  into  oblivion.  From  that  oblivion 
we  would  rescue  at  least  a  few  of  their  precious  mem- 
ories. Among  their  names — names  of  preachers  who 
ministered  in  the  old  Market  Square  church — we  find 
those  of  Wilhelm  Stoy,  George  Abrentz,  J.  C.  Faber, 
Frederick  Vandersloat,  Casper  Nach  and  John  H. 
Smaltz.  Of  others  who  preached  in  the  churches  of 
both   Market  Square   and   Fraukford  we   know   still 


28  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO  COLLEGE. 

more,  and  with  feelings  of  veneration  preserve  a  few 
facts  concerning  them. 

Taking  them  in  the  order  of  their  ministry,  from 
1770  to  1824,  the  first  name  we  find  was  that  of  Rev. 
Christian  Frederick  Foehring,  who  preached  in  Ger- 
mantown  and  Frankford,  having  laid  the  corner-stone 
of  the  old  Frankford  church.  His  history  was  a  very 
eventful  one.  He  was  born  in  Hanover  about  the  year 
1736.  His  father  died  in  the  military  service  of  that 
country,  and  his  mother  knew  that  if  he  remained  in 
his  native  country  he,  her  only  child,  would  in  due 
time  be  compelled  to  enter  the  army.  To  avoid  that, 
when  the  lad  was  seven  years  old  she  bound  him  on 
her  back,  and,  skating  across  the  Rhine,  made  her 
escape  with  him  to  this  country.  Mother  and  son 
finally  reached  the  settlement  of  the  Frankford  Com- 
pany in  Germantown  and  vicinity.  Afterward  Mr. 
Foehring  entered  the  ministry  and  became  eminent  for 
his  piety,  talents  and  success.  He  was  accustomed  to 
preach  in  the  German,  Dutch  or  English  language. 
It  was  a  singular  fact  that,  after  all,  he  lost  his  life 
through  the  army.  In  1779  he  died  from  the  efiects 
of  a  cold  contracted  in  escaping  from  a  party  of 
British  soldiers  sent  to  capture  him  because  of  his 
zeal  in  behalf  of  liberty. 

The  next  of  these  greatly  honored  men  was  the 
Rev.  J.  C.  Albertus  HelfFenstein,  who  labored  in  these 
churches  fifteen  years,  with  an  interruption  of  four  years 
from  1775  to  1779,  which  he  spent  in  Lancaster.  Mr. 
Helfienstein  belonged  to  a  family  in  which  there  has 
been  a  succession  of  ministers  since  the  Reformation. 
He  was  born  in  the  Palatinate.  While  on  his  way  to 
this  country  he  was  overtaken  at  sea  by  a  dreadful 
storm,  and  amidst  its  terrors  he  was  led  to  consecrate 


GERMS  FROM  WHICH  IT  GREW.  29 

himself  more  entirely  to  the  service  of  God.  His  ser- 
mons were  very  pointed  and  stirring  and  his  ministry 
was  greatly  blessed.  Often,  it  is  said,  was  his  congrega- 
tion overwhelmed  by  the  mighty  power  of  truth  as  it 
flowed  with  majesty  and  tenderness  from  his  heart.  He 
died  of  consumption  in  the  year  1789. 

The  next  of  these  blessed  men  whose  name  we 
would  embalm  in  memory  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Dub- 
bendorf.  He  came  to  this  country  as  a  chaphiin  with 
the  Hessian  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  After- 
ward, however,  "  through  the  })lunderiugs  of  the  Eng- 
lish soldiers,  he  lost  nearly  all  he  had,  and  amid  terror, 
want  and  famine  saw  all  his  satisfaction  and  comfort  in 
temporal  things  carried  away  as  by  a  storm."  On  this 
account  he  left  his  field  in  this  region  after  a  stay  of 
two  or  three  years.  Mr.  Dubbendorf  was  a  man  tender 
and  refined  in  his  feelings,  of  strong  affections  and 
greatly  devoted  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  was 
never  married.  Neither  the  date  of  his  birth  nor  his 
age  is  on  record. 

The  Rev.  Lebrecht  Frederick  Herman  was  the  next 
of  this  goodly  array  of  German  preachers  who  aided  in 
laying  the  foundations  of  our  Presbytery.  His  minis- 
try here  commenced  in  1789,  and  continued  for  about 
twelve  years.  He  was  long  remembered  in  the  whole 
region.  He  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  the  last  of 
the  German  missionaries  sent  out  to  this  country  by 
the  Classis  of  Amsterdam.  After  leaving  his  first 
charge  here  he  preached  in  various  other  places  in 
Chester,  Montgomery  and  Berks  counties.  No  less 
than  five  of  his  sons  entered  tlie  ministrv,  for  which  he 
had  himself  prepared  them  all.  During  many  of  the 
latest  years  of  his  life  he  was  totally  blind.  He  outlived 
all  his  fellow-laborers  and  friends,  and  died  in  1848,  at 


30  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO  COLLEGE. 

the  advanced  age  of  about  eighty-four  years.  Among 
his  last  words  were,  "  It  is  well  with  me  ;  I  am  nearing 
heaven.  My  body  is  very  weak  and  will  soon  be  dis- 
solved, but  Jesus  my  Redeemer  will  construct  for  me  a 
glorified  body  from  this  mass  of  corruption." 

The  only  other  one  we  would  name  of  these  good 
men  was  Rev.  John  William  Runkle.  He  was  pastor 
of  the  Market  Square  church  in  Germantown,  and  at 
the  same  time  preached  in  Frankford  for  many  years. 
He  also  was  a  native  of  Germany.  He  came  to  this 
country  when  he  was  about  fifteen,  and  died  in  1832  at 
the  age  of  eighty-four.  He  must  have  been  a  man  of 
very  decided  character.  As  he  has  been  described, 
"  he  was  a  man  of  strong  physical  constitution,  tall 
and  rawboned  in  person.  His  powers  of  endurance 
were  very  remarkable.  He  was  venerable  and  patriar- 
chal in  appearance,  excitable  in  temper,  warm  in  preach- 
ing ;  in  short,  '  a  son  of  thunder.'  "  He  is  said  to  have 
been  in  advance  of  his  time,  and  hence  was  regarded 
as  somewhat  a  fanatic.  His  preaching,  however,  was 
evangelical,  apt  in  illustration  and  affectionate  in 
appeal.  He  ever  manifested  much  sympathy  toward 
the  suffering,  visiting  also  prisoners  and  those  under 
sentence  of  death. 

Such  was  the  goodly  array  of  men  of  God,  most  of 
them  missionaries,  sent  from  a  distant  land  under  the 
care  of  the  orthodox  and  pious  Christians  of  Holland, 
who  for  a  long  time  ministered  in  this  region.  Their 
influence  in  laying  our  foundations  the  records  of  earth 
cannot  fully  describe,  but  it  calls  for  gratitude  from 
us  greater  far  than  we  have  any  language  to  express. 

The  leading  characteristics  of  these  German  preach- 
ers, as  of  the  churches  from  which  they  came,  were 
their  ardor,  their  stability,  their  adherence  from  age  to 


GERMS  FROM  WHICH  IT  GREW.  31 

age  to  the  established  customs  of  their  church-life. 
They  were  not  liable  to  be  carried  about  by  every  wind 
of  doctrine  or  to  be  influenced  by  every  novelty  of  prac- 
tice. From  them  this  feature  of  church-life  has  come 
down  to  us.  With  us  there  are  no  continual  innova- 
tions, no  aping  of  forms  and  ritualisms,  no  thirst  for 
novelties.  Our  customs  of  church-life  and  the  ele- 
ments of  our  worship  are  stable.  The  good  old  ways 
we  have  learned  from  the  Bible  and  the  fathers,  which 
have  been  established  and  which  God  has  blessed,  are 
to  be  found  in  all  our  churches. 

THE  NEW  ENGLAND  ELEMENT. 

The  third  element  which  was  after  a  time  incorpo- 
rated in  the  life  of  the  Presbytery  was  that  which  came 
from  New  England.  Many  of  our  most  faithful  mem- 
bers, especially  in  later  days,  came  from  that  part  of  the 
country.  As  we  glance  over  our  early  and  later  years 
we  find  a  Jedediah  Andrews,  the  first  Presbyterian 
minister  of  Philadelphia,  who  preached  part  of  his  time 
in  the  loft  of  "  the  Barbadoes  warehouse,"  corner  of 
Second  and  Chestnut  streets,  and  part  of  his  time  in 
the  old  Pennypack  Baptist  church,  a  few  miles  north 
of  the  city  ;  a  Green  ;  a  Treat ;  the  Rev.  Thomas  Brad- 
ford, for  years  a  leading  member  of  Presbytery  ;  the 
Rev,  J.  B.  Davis,  for  a  long  time  its  Stated  Clerk  ;  and 
several  others.  Then  of  private  members  from  the  same 
region  there  rise  up  before  our  thoughts  Alfred  Jenks, 
the  great  manufacturer ;  a  Godfrey,  and  many  others, 
elders,  trustees,  Sabbath-school  superintendents,  and  de- 
voted women  in  Israel.  These  had  imbibed  the  spirit 
of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  had  been  trained  in  the  Shorter 
Catechism,  and  were  amongst  the  most  godly  of  men 
and    women.      They  brought  with    them   their  active 


32  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

energy,  their  practical  tact,  their  force  and  their  enter- 
prise, and  they  imparted  these  qualities  to  our  whole 
body,  as  has  been  seen  in  the  continued  formation  of 
new  churches  in  our  bounds  in  numbers  far  greater 
than  most  of  us  are  accustomed  to  consider. 

ENGLISH,    WELSH    AND    QUAKERS. 

Besides  these  three  leading  ingredients  in  the  original 
formation  of  our  church-life,  there  were  still  others 
which  were  not  so  influential,  but  still  were  sufiiciently 
important  to  require  a  distinct  notice.  They  were  all  to 
be  found  amid  our  churches,  and  their  influence  may  be 
traced  even  to  the  present  time. 

(a)  Of  these  perhaps  the  most  noticeable  was  that 
which  had  its  origin  in  England.  From  England 
there  came  to  us  numbers  of  the  most  excellent  of  men 
and  women.  Of  these,  among  ministers  we  may  name 
Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  Biggs,  friend  of  Dr.  Charles  Hodge, 
for  a  long  time  pastor  in  Frankford,  and  subsequent- 
ly professor  in  Lane  Theological  Seminary,  and  Rev. 
Benjamin  Stead,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  Bridesburg ;  and  of 
private  members  not  a  few  who  have  been  among  our 
elders,  trustees  and  most  earnest  workers  for  Christ. 
These  have  been  found  chiefly  in  our  manufacturing 
centres,  such  as  Norristown,  Manayunk  and  Frankford. 

In  the  land  from  which  they  came  they  had  gene- 
rally been  connected  with  the  Congregational  or  Inde- 
pendent Church,  and,  finding  our  doctrinal  system  the 
same  as  that  which  they  had  at  home,  they  had  no  dif- 
ficulty in  identifying  themselves  with  us.  Among  this 
element  of  our  original  church-life  it  is  proper  that 
we  should  place  Whitefield,  one  of  the  most  eloquent 
preachers  of  modern  times,  who  visited  some  of  our 
churches,  preached  in  the  region  of  the  IjOg  College, 


OEEMS  FROM  WHICH  IT  GREW.  33 

and  through  his  burning  words  aided  in  promoting  the 
great  revival  that  gave  such  tone  and  impulse  to  our 
cause  in  its  earliest  days.  Deep  piety  and  love  of  es- 
tablished order  were  the  leading  peculiarities  of  the 
system  which  these  men  represented  and  which  they 
insensibly  infused  into  the  Presbytery,  so  that  the 
spirit  of  change  and  agitation  has  seldom  disturbed  our 
counsels  or  diverted  our  energies  from  the  momentous 
work  of  the  gospel. 

(b)  The  Welsh  Calvinist'ic  influence  upon  our  relig- 
ious life  is  the  next  which  we  are  led  to  notice.  It 
might  be  said  in  all  soberness  that  a  more  mighty  work 
of  the  gospel  there  has  not  been  in  all  modern  times 
than  that  in  Wales,  commencing  in  173o  under  the 
preaching  of  Howell  Harris,  Daniel  Rowlands,  Howell 
Davies  and  David  Jones.  It  stirred  the  entire  prin- 
cipality to  its  very  foundations.  By  it  the  whole  con- 
dition of  the  populace  was  changed  from  one  of  deepest 
depravity,  until  it  now  stands  amongst  the  foremost  of 
all  peoples  for  true  scriptural  piety.  More  effective 
preachers  we  believe  the  world  has  never  seen  than  the 
three  great  Welshmen,  John  Elias,  Williams  of  Wales 
and  Christmas  Evans.  Under  a  single  sermon  of 
Elias,  the  greatest  of  them  all,  preached  at  Carnarven, 
it  is  affirmed  that  no  less  than  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred souls  were  converted. 

The  work  was  deep  and  abiding.  Religion  became 
the  life,  the  hearing  of  preaching  the  great  enjoyment, 
and  the  Bible  the  one  Book  of  the  whole  people.  A 
more  scriptural,  sound  and  earnest  body  of  Christians 
there  is  not  on  earth  than  are  the  Calvinistic  Method- 
ists of  Wales. 

These  faithful  people  were  driven  by  thousands  from 
their   homes   by  the  most   abominable  and  pei*sistent 


34  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

persecution.  Coming  out  from  the  midst  of  glorious 
revival  scenes,  with  their  hearts  inflamed  by  love  to 
Christ  and  his  cause,  they  settled  in  large  numbers  in 
the  territory  of  our  Presbytery.  Several  townships  on 
the  east  of  the  Schuylkill  River  were  given  to  them  and 
occupied  by  them.  Welsh  names  are  still  found  in 
our  towns,  such  as  North  Wales,  Gwynedd  and  Pen- 
llyn.  Also,  among  the  faithful  men  of  our  history  Avho 
sprung  from  them  were  the  Rev.  David  Evans,  the 
Rev.  Malachi  Jones  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Da  vies. 
These  men  and  others  like  them  contributed  to  our 
religious  character  earnest  Christian  life,  love  of  re- 
ligious ordinances  and  strong  attachment  to  the  Bible 
and  Bible  doctrines. 

(c)  The  remaining  element  which  mingled  in  our 
early  history  was  that  which  came  from  the  Quakers. 
In  much  of  our  territory  our  churches  were  surrounded 
by  the  families  of  influential  Friends,  and,  as  was  nat- 
ural, numbers  of  them  fron^  time  to  time  became  inter- 
ested in  our  system,  and  finally  embraced  it,  and  were 
found  among  our  most  faithful  members.  There  has 
been  a  movement  of  this  kind  much  more  extensive 
than  is  imagined.  The  spirit  of  that  people,  so  quiet 
and  undemonstrative,  has  prevented  much  display. 
We  could  name  eloquent  preachers  who  have  entered 
our  ranks  from  that  source.  In  a  quiet  manner  have 
private  members  recruited  our  numbers  by  uniting 
with  our  churches.  In  most  of  our  congregations  are 
to  be  found  those  descended  from  old  families  of 
Friends  who  have  become  earnest  and  intelligent 
workers  Avith  us — who  have  given  all  their  old  fam- 
ily influence  to  the  upbuilding  of  our  cause.  The 
characteristic  of  this  element  of  our  communion  is 
unostentatious  but  deep  and  true  piety.     On  this  very 


GERMS  FROM  WHICH  IT  GREW.  35 

• 
account  tlieir  coming  to  us  has  been  little  dis^iilayecl 
or   even    noticed.      It   has  not  been  paraded,  tliough 
going  on  steadily,  constantly  and  influentially. 

This  element  also  has  imparted  its  own  feature  to 
the  life  of  our  churches.  That  life  has  been  emi- 
nently unostentatious  and  quiet,  though  very  deep. 
There  has  been  little  display,  and  yet  there  has  been 
progress.  We  have  not  crowded  the  daily  papers 
with  our  affairs.  Perhaps  we  have  not  aroused  as 
much  attention  and  sympathy  as  we  should  have  done 
in  order  to  accomplish  the  utmost  that  we  might. 

THE   OFFSPRING   OF   THE    PERSECUTED. 

With  all  truthfulness  may  it  be  said  that  the  Pres- 
bytery was  originally  made  up  of  the  descendants  of 
those  who  had  suffered — suffered  sorely,  thousands  of 
them  even  dying  for  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus 
— in  other  lands.  We  have  not  been  mindful  of  this 
and  nerved  bv  it,  as  undoubtedlv  we  should  have  been. 
Only  when  the  facts  are  gathered  together  into  one  group 
and  contemplated  in  the  mass  can  it  be  even  proxi- 
mately appreciated.  It  has  been  seen  that  the  leading 
germs  from  which  our  strength  has  grown  were  all 
derived  from  immigration.  But  who  and  what  were 
these  immigrants  ?  In  every  case  they  were  either 
themselves  fugitives  from  persecution  or  the  descend- 
ants of  those  who  had  suffered  in  the  fires.  When  we 
look  at  any  special  immigration  which  entered  into  our 
ujibuilding,  we  find  that,  without  exception,  it  was  occa- 
sioned by  the  persecutions  that  were  raging  in  the  land 
from  which  it  came. 

We  mav  see  this  first  in  that  chief  ingredient  which 
originally  constituted  our  Church — namely,  the  Scotch- 
Irish.     Who  were  those  steadfast  and  noble  men  who 


36  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

laid  our  foundations?  They  were  the  descendants *of 
the  men  who  under  the  persecutions  of  Charles  II. 
were  driven  by  Claverhouse  and  his  remorseless  dra- 
goons out  of  Scotland  into  Ireland.  The  time  of  the 
coming  of  this  first  immigration  was  significant.  The 
murderous  persecution  in  Scotland  ceased  only  in  1688, 
but  seventeen  years,  be  it  observed,  before  the  Pres- 
bytery was  organized.  What,  again  it  may  be  asked, 
was  the  character  of  that  persecution  by  which  those 
faithful  men  were  driven  from  their  fatherland  into 
Ireland  ?  According  to  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Blaikie, 
"  During  the  reigns  of  Charles  II.  and  James  II.  the  cases 
of  persecution  were  very  numerous,  and  in  innumerable 
cases  most  harrowing.  It  was  reckoned  that  in  twenty- 
eight  years  eighteen  thousand  persons  were  either  ban- 
ished or  put  to  deaths  Moreover,  these  victims  of  per- 
secution, first  driven  from  Scotland,  thus  becoming  the 
Scotch-Irish,  and  then  so  many  of  them  driven  again 
to  Pennsylvania,  were  the  very  flower  of  the  land  from 
which  they  came.  The  same  excellent  authority  as- 
serts :  "  It  is  very  certain  that  between  1580  and  1688 
the  friends  and  upholders  of  the  Covenants  embraced 
nearly  all  of  the  most  learned,  devout  and  earnest  min- 
isters of  the  Church  of  Scotland  and  many  laymen  in 
high  places'.  The  real  lovers  of  the  gosj)el  were  the 
Presbyterians,  and  the  revivals  of  earnest  religion  were 
associated  with  them."  Dr.  Blaikie  adds  :  "  The  stand 
for  freedom,  civil  and  religious,  made  by  these  people 
was  of  the  noblest  character,  and  conferred  incalculable 
benefit  upon  both  Church  and  State.  Had  they  been 
crushed,  ecclesiastical  liberty  would  have  perished  within 
the  Reformed  churches ^ 

As  is  well  known,  thousands  of  these  Scotch  Pres- 
byterians fled  from  their  remorseless  persecutors  to  the 


GERMS  FROM  WHICH  IT  GREW.  37 

North  of  Ireland.  They  settled  there  and  changed  the 
religious  character  of  the  country.  But  what  soon 
befell  them  in  Ireland?  Persecution — persecution 
again  under  the  Stuart,  James  II.  That  persecution 
arose  to  gigantic  proportions  at  the  siege  of  Derry  in 
1689,  only  sixteen  years  befor^  the  formation  of  the 
Presbytery.  In  that  siege  the  extremes  of  famine  and 
pestilence  and  death  itself  were  endured.  Another  ter- 
rible scene  of  that  persecution  was  at  the  battle  of  the 
Boyne  in  1690,  only  fifteen  years  before  the  Presbytery. 
Then  six  or  seven  hundred  of  the  noble  defenders  of 
our  faith — among  them  the  Rev.  George  Walker,  who 
so  gallantly  led  at  Londonderry — were  slaughtered  by 
the  forces  of  James,  though  that  cruel  monarch  was  at 
last  utterly  routed  by  his  own  son-in-law,  AVilliam  III. 
Could  it  be  otherwise  than  that  the  descendants  of 
those  whose  fiithers  had  fallen  at  Bothwell  Bridge, 
had  endured  the  horrors  of  famine  at  the  siege 
of  Derry,  or  been  slaughtered  at  the  Boyne,  or  been 
plundered  by  Thurot  at  the  sack  of  Carrickfergus,  or 
been  hanged  by  the  minions  of  James,  would  cling, 
as  for  their  very  souls,  to  the  tenets  for  which  their 
ancestors  had  suffered  so  much?  Concerning  the  chil- 
dren of  these  suffering  people  the  impressive  words 
of  Dr.  John  Hall  are  worthy  of  deep  consideration  : 
"These  Scotch-Irish  were  staunch  to  the  truth  they 
had  learned  from  their  parents  and  their  ministers,  and 
especially  from  their  Bible  ;  and  well  was  it  burnt  into 
them  by  the  persecution  they  experienced ;  it  was 
wrought  into  their  very  nature ;  their  minds  were 
stored  with  it."  The  children  and  grandchildren  of 
these  sufferers  were  the  leadins;  men  in  the  Pres- 
bytery  when  first  formed.  From  them  came  the  Ma- 
kemies  and    the  Tennents  and  the    Finleys  and  the 


38  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Blairs  of  our  earliest  history.  It  was  also  the  per- 
secuted and  their  descendants  who  formed  the  great 
immigration  into  Pennsylvania  after  the  sack  of  Car- 
rickfergus  in  1760. 

A  similar  story  of  flight  from  bloody  persecution 
must  be  told  of  the  Dutch  or  German  element  so  prom- 
inent in  the  founding  of  our  Presbytery.  Whence  came 
our  German  fathers  to  this  country  and  to  this  part  of 
our  State  ?  The  "  Frankfort  Company/'which  settled 
Germantown  and  all  this  region,  was  organized  in 
Frankfort  near  the  Rhine  in  the  year  1682,  only 
twenty-three  years  before  this  Presbytery  was  organ- 
ized. The  refugees  whom  it  aided  in  reaching  a  safer 
land  continued  to  come  over  even  to  the  years  of  our 
formation. 

What  brought  them  here  ?  We  must  go  over  to  the 
other  side  of  the  ocean  and  enter  the  Palatinate,  along 
the  beautiful  Phine,  to  see.  That  Palatinate  was  hor- 
ribly ravaged  by  the  French  in  a  crusade  against  the 
gospel  in  1688,  only  seventeen  years  before  the  Pres- 
bytery. At  that  time  the  sufferings  of  the  people 
whose  children  came  here,  were  fearful.  In  an  ofl&cial 
document  in  the  British  archives  we  have  this  record  : 
"  About  seven  thousand  of  poor  Protestants  from  the 
banks  of  the  Rhine,  driven  from  their  habitations  by 
the  French,  arrived  in  England,  and  were  encamped  at 
Blackheath  and  Camberwell ;  a  brief  was  granted  to 
collect  alms  for  them.  Five  hundred  families  went 
under  the  protection  of  the  Government  to  Ireland, 
and  settled  chiefly  about  Limerick,  where  Parliament 
granted  them  twenty-four  thousand  pounds  for  their 
support.  Three  thousand  were  sent  to  New  York  and 
Hudson's  Bay,  but  not  having  been  received  kindly,  they 
went   to   Pennsylvania,   and,   being   there  greatly   en- 


GERMS  FROM  WHICH  IT  GREW.  39 

couraged  by  the  Quakers,  they  invilcd  over  some  thou- 
sands of  German  and  Swiss  Protestants,  who  soon  made 
this  colony  flourishing!'^  It  should  be  remembered 
that  this  is  from  an  official  document  of  the  British 
Government,  and  it  tells  beyond  mistake  of  the  perse- 
cutions which  sent  our  German  fathers  here.  Tliese 
very  men  were  the  fathers  and  the  grandfathers  of 
those  who  formed  some  of  our  churches. 

But  the  whole  story  is  not  yet  told.  In  the  suffer- 
ing days  of  those  German  Protestants  of  the  Palatinate 
they  were  aided  by  their  brethren  in  Holland,  who  had 
themselves  passed  through  even  more  ferocious  persecu- 
tions a  century  before.  When  those  heroic  Hollanders 
saw  their  companions  burnt  at  the  stake  or  buried  alive 
by  the  bloodthirsty  Spaniard,  the  duke  of  Alva,  multi- 
tudes of  them  fled  and  found  protection  in  the  Palati- 
nate under  the  humaneshelter  of  "  the  houses  under  the 
cross."  Then,  when  in  turn  the  same  sort  of  persecu- 
tion was  flaming  in  the  Palathiate,  the  Dutch  came  for- 
ward to  aid  their  friends  in  their  distress.  Among  other 
things  they  sent  their  ministers  to  preach  to  them  and 
comfort  them  in  their  flisiht.  These  ministers  or  mis- 
sionaries  followed  with  their  ministrations  of  kindness 
even  to  foreign  lands.  This  explains,  what  we  other- 
wise could  not  understand,  why  so  many  of  the  early 
ministers  of  our  German  ancestors  were  sent  hither  by 
the  Classis  of  Amsterdam. 

A  similar  history  of  suffering  for  the  cause  of  Christ 
is  connected  with  the  New  England  ingredient  which 
entered  into  the  original  formation  of  the  Pre.«<bytery. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  ancestors  of  these  devoted 
men  were  the  Puritans  who  had  fled  from  place  to 
place  that  they  might  find  some  spot  where  they  could 
be  free  from  wrong,  oppression  and  suffering  in  their 


40  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

worship  of  God,  and  found  it  only  when  they  reached 
the  then  barbarous  shores  of  this  New  World.  They 
too  had  been  suffering  fugitives  from  the  persecu- 
tion of  the  Stuarts.  And  when  at  length  they  settled 
here  in  Pennsylvania  they  brought  with  them  the  spirit 
of  stern  endurance  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  They  too 
had  been  purified  in  the  fires.  They  were  clinging 
with  a  death-grasp  to  their  bloodbought  faith. 

Still  was  it  the  same  old  story  of  escape  from  the 
wrongs,  the  fury  and  the  remorseless  persecutions  of  the 
enemies  of  Christ  and  his  gospel  that  brought  into 
our  territory  the  faithful  Calvinists  of  Wales.  The 
glorious  revival  of  that  land  under  Howell  Harris  and 
his  friends,  which  changed  the  whole  moral  aspect  of 
Wales,  prevailed  from  1736  onward  until  a  most  ardent 
piety  filled  the  country.  Very  soon  the  usual  result 
followed,  and  those  blessed  men  were  persecuted  with- 
out shame,  without  remorse,  and  apparently  without 
one  feeling  of  humanity.  They  were  mobbed ;  they 
were  driven  into  dog-kennels ;  they  were  shut  up  in 
dark,  loathsome  prisons ;  they  were  sent  in  chains 
upon  vessels  of  war ;  they  were  driven  for  refuge  into 
fearful  caves  of  the  earth  ;  they  were  virtually  sold  into 
slavery  ;  they  were  built  up  in  the  walls  of  houses ; 
hellish  plots  were  matured  against  them  ;  the  very  in- 
genuity of  Satan  was  exerted  to  contrive  afflictions  and 
tortures  for  them.  From  the  midst  of  the  rage  of 
this  tempest  of  the  powers  of  darkness  thousands  of 
them  fled,  not  in  fear,  but  in  faith,  and  at  last  found 
safety  and  a  home  among  the  Quakers  of  Montgomery 
county. 

It  is  thus  sadly  yet  gloriously  true  that  all  the  leading 
elements  originally  entering  into  the  formation  of  the 
Presbytery  were  either  themselves  fugitives  from  per- 


OERMS  FROM  WHICH  IT  GREW.  41 

secution  or  the  descendants  of  fugitives.  This  seems 
mysterious,  but  no  doubt  there  were  sublime  providen- 
tial purposes  in  view.  There  is  not  a  question  but  that 
it  was  one  modern  fulfdlment  of  tlie  great  prophecy  of 
the  Revelation,  wherein  the  woman,  the  establislicd  em- 
blem of  the  Church,  had  wings  given  to  her,  "  that  she 
might  fly  into  the  wilderness,  into  her  place,  where  she 
is  nourished  for  a  time,  and  times,  and  half  a  time  from 
the  face  of  the  serpent."  Do  we  not  find  in  the  history 
every  element  of  this  prophecy  ? — the  Church  as  the 
woman — the  flight  from  persecution  as  the  wings — this 
then  uncultivated  region  as  the  wilderness — and  the 
protection  and  friends  found  here  as  the  earth  helping 
the  woman.  We  do  not  assert  nor  do  we  believe  that 
this  is  the  sole  fulfillment  of  the  revelation,  but  we  do 
indicate  it  as  one  of  its  many  fulfillments,  as  it,  with 
very  many  other  prophecies,  was  intended  to  point  out 
a  series  of  future  events. 

All  these  persecutions  seem  to  us  dark  and  mysterious ; 
but  while  we  would  not  attempt  to  scrutinize  God's 
higher  ulterior  purj)oses  in  them,  we  cannot  but  see 
many  immediate  blessed  results  springing  therefrom. 
They  scattered  these  godly  people  through  other  lands 
bearing  the  precious  gospel  with  them.  Would  they 
have  come  here  had  they  not  been  persecuted  at  home? 
Then  these  suffering  fugitives  were  by  their  persecu- 
tions hardened  for  the  great  self-denving  work  which 
lay  before  them.  They  had  learned  the  value  of  that 
gospel  for  which  they  and  their  fathers  bled.  They 
knew  the  value  of  the  truth  for  which  they  had  suffV'red 
so  much,  and  clung  to  it  with  all  their  souls,  and  sent  it 
down  uncorrupted  to  the  generations  that  have  come 
after  them.  How  much  of  our  pure  Presbyterianism 
do  we  owe  to  them  !     It  is  no  vain  boast  that  ours  has 


42  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

been  the  martyr  Churcli.  It  was  terrible  for  those  who 
suflfered,  but  it  is  glorious  for  us  that  all  the  elements 
from  which  we  sprung  were  planted  in  the  blood  of  the 
faithful. 

Such  were  the  elements  which  originally  composed 
the  Presbytery,  and  which,  all  commingling  in  one 
stream,  while  each  imparted  its  own  characteristics,  made 
it  what  it  is  in  its  Christian  life  and  worship  and  work. 
From  the  Scotch-Irish  has  come  that  orthodoxy  of  faith 
which  has  never  admitted  even  the  thought  of  error  in 
the  word  of  God;  from  the  German,  that  fixed  manner 
of  life  and  worship  which  has  been  the  same  from  age 
to  age ;  from  the  land  of  Edwards,  that  earnest  enter- 
prise and  progress  which  have  multiplied  our  churches 
to  a  degree  that  is  scarce  surpassed  ;  from  England,  that 
adherence  to  established  order  and  worship  which  saves 
from  all  confusion  and  error;  from  the  Welsh  Calvin- 
ists,  that  love  of  Scripture  and  scriptural  truth  which 
preserves  our  foundations  and  secures  an  intelligent 
devotion ;  and  from  the  Quaker,  that  quiet  but  real 
readiness  to  work  for  Christ  in  which  we  must  ever 
rejoice.  These  elements  may  not  be  very  easily  traced 
to  their  origin,  for  they  have  been  so  long  commingled 
and  blended  into  one  that  their  distinction  may  seem 
to  be  lost.  Nevertheless,  they  still  exist,  and  lend  to 
each  other  a  harmony  and  power  for  which  we  should 
render  the  most  sincere  gratitude  to  the  Giver  of  all 
good. 


CHAPTER   IV. 
THE  HISTORY  IN  DETAIL. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  enter  upon  the  history  of 
the  Presbytery  in  the  full  details  of  its  churches,  its 
important  events  and  its  progress.  This  is  a  work  of 
great  difficulty,  because  of  the  length  of  time,  the  many 
churches  embraced,  the  complicated  nature  of  the  facts 
and  the  subtile  influences  connectinjij  them.  Onlv  bv  a 
very  exact  system  and  classification  may  we  escape  a 
tedious  repetition  of  facts  that  are  found  in  many  different 
connections,  notice  every  item  that  should  be  mentioned 
and  present  all  in  their  proper  relations  and  influences. 

The  general  plan  is  to  present  (1)  the  seed  from  which 
the  Presbytery  germinated  and  grew  to  such  goodly 
proportions  ;  (2)  the  plantiiig  of  that  seed  in  the  field 
which  God  has  given  us;  (3)  the  growth  of  the  plant 
from  the  most  feeble  life  to  its  present  dimensions ;  and 
(4)  the  fruit  which  it  has  borne  in  the  past  and  is  still 
bearing  in  the  present. 

The  first  of  these  leading  divisions  has  already  been 
considered,  and  need  not  be  further  dwelt  upon.  Under 
the  second  we  make  a  division  into  two  periods:  (a) 
the  Antepresbyterial  Period,  up  to  1705,  and  {b)  the 
Period  of  Formation,  1705-88.  Under  the  third 
division  we  make  four  periods:  (a)  Period  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  1788-1833 ;  {b)  Period  of  the  Second 
Presbytery,  1833-38 ;  (c)  Period  of  Separation,  1838- 
71;  {d)  Period  of  Reunion,  from  1871  to  the  present 
time. 

43 


44  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

It  will  be  seen,  as  we  trace  the  history  of  the  Presby- 
tery, that  the  events  fall  of  themselves  into  this  natural 
classification. 

According,  therefore,  to  the  arrangement  which  has 
been  announced,  the  first  period  of  our  history,  which 
we  call  the  Antepresbyterial,  is  that  which  lies  before 
1705,  the  year  of  the  organization  of  the  original 
Presbytery.  That  was  the  period  of  gathering  up  the 
fragments  and  getting  ready  for  united  life  and  action. 

The  second  we  call  the  Period  of  Formation.  It 
extended  from  1705  to  the  organization  of  the  General 
Assembly  in  1788.  This  space  of  eighty-three  years 
was  a  time  of  laying  foundations,  consolidating  and 
defining  positions,  during  which  a  few  churches  were 
organized. 

The  third  period  covered  forty-five  years.  We  call 
it  the  Period  of  the  General  Assembly,  for  it  began  with 
the  formation  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1788,  and 
extended  to  the  formation  of  the  old  Second  Presbytery, 
which  up  to  that  time  was  a  component  part  of  the 
general  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  and,  although 
known  at  different  times  by  different  names,  still  sub- 
stantially exists  as  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia 
North.  During  these  forty-five  years  the  whole  Church 
was  one,  and  its  great  work  was  to  establish  itself  and 
build  up  on  the  foundations  which  had  been  laid  during 
the  eighty  preceding  years. 

The  fourth  period  was  a  very  brief  one  of  only  five 
years.  We  call  it  the  Period  of  the  Second  Presbytery, 
because  it  commenced  with  the  organization  of  that 
Presbytery  in  1833,  and  extended  to  the  great  separation 
of  Old  and  New  School  in  1838.  This  was  the  most 
unhappy  time  of  our  whole  history — a  time  of  misunder- 
standings, of  alienated  feelings,  of  storms.    It  witnessed 


THE  HISTORY  IN  DETAIL.  45 

that  ordeal  of  fermentation  which  seems  to  be  a  neces- 
sary formative  process  in  all  the  institutions  and  his- 
tories of  men. 

The  fifth  period  wfus  thirty-three  years  in  length. 
Its  beginning  was  with  the  sad  division  into  the  Old  and 
New  Schools  in  1838,  and  its  close  with  the  healing  of 
that  breach  in  the  Reunion  of  1871.  The  distinctive 
name  we  give  it  is  the  Period  of  Separation.  The 
alienations  resulting  from  the  division  were  inevitable, 
but  each  branch  pursued  its  owu  work  and  prospered. 
They  had  separated,  but  w^orked  on ;  the  great  principles 
adopted  were  the  same  ;  the  sores  were  gradually  healed ; 
and  at  the  end  of  a  generation  the  two  parties  came  to- 
gether again. 

The  sixth  period  consisted  of  seventeen  years.  It 
began  in  the  Reunion  of  1871,  and  has  continued  until 
the  present  time,  and  may  hence  be  called  the  Period 
of  Reunion.  So  far  as  the  term  is  allowable  to  anything 
that  is  earthly,  this  is  the  time  of  our  Presbytery's 
glory.  Every  breach  healed,  every  alienation  gone, 
vast  enterprises  for  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  in 
progress,  churches  rapidly  growing  in  number  and 
strength  and  influence, — everything  calls  upon  us  for 
the  most  sincere  gratitude  to  the  King. 

Such  is  a  brief  analysis  of  the  one  hundred  and 
eighty-three  years  of  our  history.  The  limits  of  the 
periods  are  well  defined  by  the  events.  A  definite  tab- 
ulation of  them  will  aid  the  memory  in  retaining  them, 
and  show  the  great  providential  chains  by  which  they 
are  connected.  We  may  therefore  take  a  bird's-eye  view 
of  them  which  will  render  the  plan  of  God's  gracious 
working  still  more  impressive : 

(1)  Antepresbyterial  Period,  up  to  1705  (Chap.  iv.). 


46  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO   COLLEGE. 

(2)  Period  of  Formation,  83  yrs.,  1705-1788  (Chap.  v.). 

(3)  Period  of  General  Assembly,  45  years,  1788-1833 

(Chap.  vi.). 

(4)  Period  of  Second  Presbytery,  5  years,  1833-1838 

(Chap.  vii.). 

(5)  Period  of  Separation,  33  years,  1838-1871  (Chap. 

viii.). 

(6)  Period  of  Eeunion,  17  years,  1871-1888  (Chap.  ix.). 

(7)  Progress  in  the  Life  of  the  Presbytery  (Chap.  x.). 

(8)  Lessons  of  Ninescore  Years (Chap.  xi.). 

By  this  scheme  the  whole  plan  of  our  work  is  laid 

before  us. 

ANTEPRESBYTERIAL   PEEIOD. 

The  treatment  of  this  period  will  be  brief,  but  it  is 
necessary  as  introductory  to  the  annals  which  are  to 
be  reviewed.  The  entire  history  of  the  Presbytery  is 
to  be  rehearsed,  and  whatever  had  a  bearing  upon  that 
body  must  receive  our  consideration.  Whatever  had  an 
influence  on  its  character  or  on  its  first  movements  in 
starting  upon  its  eventful  career  is  needed  to  explain 
the  story.  We  want  all  the  preliminary  facts,  for  they 
all  had  an  influence  in  shaping  the  life  and  character  of 
the  body  with  which  such  interests  have  been  connected. 
We  desire  to  place  them  all,  so  far  as  they  are  known, 
on  record,  for  the  memory  of  them  is  fast  passing  away. 
If  not  recorded  now,  they  will  soon  be  gone  from  the 
memory  of  man.  Many  have  gone  already.  We  would 
save  what  remain. 

THE    PLACE    AND    TIME    OF   THE    ORIGIN    OF    THE    PEES- 

BYTEE.Y. 

It  is  important  to  have  an  understanding  of  the 
nature  of  the  country  and  of  the  state  of  the  times  in 
which  the  Presbytery  was  first  established.     The  ques- 


THE  HISTORY  IN  DETAIL.  47 

tions  will  ever  and  anon  come  up,  When,  and  wliere, 
and  what  were  the  times  and  places  with  whicli  it 
was  associated  in  the  eventful  days  of  its  youth  ? 
What  were  its  first  surroundings,  either  in  its  imme- 
diate vicinity  or  in  the  more  distant  parts  of  the  land  ? 
Who  wore  the  ministers  and  people  who  first  composed 
it?  What  were  the  events  that  interested  them  and 
contributed  to  make  them  what  they  were?  What 
were  their  modes  of  life,  the  subjects  which  engaged 
their  conversation  in  leisure  hours  and  the  occupations 
which  took  up  their  time?  What  were  they  doing 
and  thinking  and  living  for  ?  What  was  the  state  of 
the  country  and  government  and  society  Avith  which 
they  had  to  do?  We  cannot  answer  all  these  questions 
fully,  but  the  little  information  that  is  still  within  our 
reach  we  would  carefully  preserve  and  almost  sacredly 
contemplate. 

The  locality  which  the  Presbytery  at  first  covered 
embraced  not  only  the  territory  which  it  now  occupies, 
but  also  the  whole  of  Philadelphia  and  the  surrounding 
country.  What  are  now  three  Presbyteries  was  then 
but  one.  At  that  time  the  country  was  covered  over  by 
forests,  with  here  and  there  a  clearing  where  the  few 
inhabitants  had  erected  their  dwelliniis.  Those  dwellin}:rs 
were  generally  what  we  would  now  regard  as  huts,  con- 
structed of  logs  rudely  shaped  with  the  hatchet,  the  in- 
terstices filled  with  mud  or  mortar.  The  chief  road, 
forming  the  leading  thoroughfare  between  Philadelphia 
and  New  York,  ran  through  the  heart  of  the  country, 
and  attracted  to  its  borders  the  churches  and  other 
institutions  springing  up  in  the  region  through  which 
it  ran.  That  road  as  well  as  others  was  doubtless  in  a 
wretched  condition — sometimes  almost  irapast^able ;  in 
some  places,  when  running  through  swamps,  constructed 


48  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

of  tree-trunks  in  corduroy  fashion.  Yet  these  miser- 
able roads  passed  by  log  houses  in  which  resided  fam- 
ilies the  names  of  which  have  been  wrought  into  our 
history,  and  ministers  among  the  most  learned,  eloquent 
and  devout  of  any  that  have  graced  our  annals. 

We  are  also  interested  in  knowing  the  point  in 
the  history  of  the  country  when  the  organization  was 
effected.  It  was  but  eighty-five  years  after  the  landing 
of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  on  Plymouth  Rock.  It  was 
only  twenty-four  years  after  William  Penn  obtained 
the  grant  of  the  whole  land  of  Pennsylvania  from  the 
Crown  of  England.  The  people  were  exposed  to  con- 
stant attacks  from  swarms  of  savage  Indians.  It  was 
seventy-one  years  before  our  country,  by  its  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  took  its  place  as  one  of  the 
nations  of  the  earth.  At  that  time  the  great  tides  of 
emigration  had  scarcely  commenced  to  flow  across  the 
sea  from  all  the  lands  of  Europe.  To  make  an  ocean 
voyage  in  those  days  was  a  serious  matter,  as  the  ordi- 
nary time  of  crossing  the  Atlantic  was  from  seven  or 
eight  weeks  to  three  months.  The  whole  country  was 
then  under  the  government  of  Great  Britain  ;  all  lead- 
ing officers  were  appointed  by  the  king,  and  every  im- 
portant law  had  to  be  sanctioned  by  the  Crown. 

Such  was  the  period  in  the  history  of  this  country 
when  the  Presbytery  had  its  birth,  and  we  naturally 
look  abroad  to  see  what  were  the  events  occurring  in 
the  other  nations,  especially  in  Europe.  What  was 
then  the  state  of  the  world?  At  the  time  when  the 
five  or  six  ministers,  with  elders  whose  names  we  do  not 
know,  met  in  the  one  humble  Presbyterian  meeting- 
house of  Philadelphia  to  form  this  body  as  a  branch  of 
Christ's  kingdom,  Peter  the  Great  was  reigning  over 
the  half-savage  hordes  of  Russia ;  Joseph  I.  was  on  the 


THE  HISTORY  IN  DETAIL.  49 

throne  of  Germany,  a  country  just  beginning  its  career 
of  greatness ;  Innocent  XII.  was  the  pope  of  Rome, 
wiekling  both  temporal  and  spiritual  power ;  Queen 
Anne  was  reigning  in  England,  even  Uieu  one  of  the 
greatest  powers  on  the  earth ;  Louis  XIV.,  the  Grand 
Monarch  of  France,  was  in  the  zenith  of  his  glory. 

This  was  the  general  state  of  the  world;  but  more 
specially  it  may  be  noted  that  in  France  the  splendors 
of  the  great  Louis,  the  magnificent  operations  of  his 
government  and  the  wonders  of  his  architecture  were 
ringing  throughout  the  civilized  world.  It  was,  per- 
haps, the  most  flourishing  period  of  French  literature. 
Fenelon,  Bossuet,  Masillon  and  Boileau  were  penning 
their  great  works  which  have  lived  through  all  the 
centuries  since. 

In  Great  Britain  it  was  also  a  memorable  period. 
Queen  Anne  was  in  the  midst  of  her  prosperous  reign; 
John  Locke  and  Isaac  Newton  had  issued  their  im- 
mortal works  just  before ;  Prior,  Steele,  De  Foe  and 
Addison  issued  theirs  just  after;  Swift,  Isaac  Watts, 
Pope  and  Allen  Ramsay  were  all  living  at  the  time. 
The  world-renowned  Bank  of  England  had  been 
opened  twelve  years  before ;  the  British  East  India 
Company  was  chartered  five  years  after  this  moment- 
ous event  in  our  history. 

In  this  country  there  were  several  memorable  events 
which  may  serve  to  fix  the  time  with  more  distinctness. 
In  New  England  the  superstition  concerning  witchcraft 
still  existed  in  force :  two  so-called  witches  were  exe- 
cuted in  Northampton  in  the  very  year  the  Presbytery 
was  organized.  In  1704,  the  year  before  the  organiza- 
tion, the  first  newspaper  ever  issued  on  this  continent, 
The  Boston  Neivs-Letter,  was  published.  The  first  paper 
money  of  the  country  was  issued  in  New  Jersey  in  1709, 


50  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

the  first  post-office  was  opened  in  1710 — the  former 
four,  the  latter  five,  years  after  the  Presbytery  was 
formed. 

How  difierent  the  state  of  society  then  from  what  it 
is  to-day !  How  many  advantages  and  comforts  we 
now  have  that  were  then  unknown  !  At  that  time  there 
were  no  post-offices,  no  paper  money,  no  railroads, 
no  telegraphs,  no  temperance  societies,  no  Sabbath- 
schools  for  the  instruction  of  the  young,  no  mission- 
ary societies  to  spread  abroad  the  gospel. 

EELIGIOTJS    MOVEMENTS   OF    THE    WOELD. 

It  is  significant  that  the  Westminster  Assembly, 
which  had  such  a  vast  influence  in  formulating  our 
doctrinal  system,  had  closed  its  sessions  in  1652,  and 
that  the  last  surviving  member  of  that  august  body, 
Rev.  Dr.  Anthony  Tuckney,  had  died  in  1703,  only 
two  years  before  the  organization.  The  siege  of  Derry 
was  sixteen  years,  and  the  battle  of  the  Boyne  fifteen 
years,  before  ;  both  of  which  events  had  great  influence 
in  sending  hither  the  men  who  constituted  the  first 
Presbytery.  In  this  country  also  there  were  other  mo- 
mentous ecclesiastical  events.  The  Episcopal  Church 
was  set  up  in  New  York  City  in  1698,  seven  years 
before  the  Presbytery,  and  the  Saybrook  Platform, 
with  its  half  Presbyterianism,  was  adopted  in  Con- 
necticut in  1708,  but  three  years  after. 

At  that  time  there  was  no  institution  in  the  whole 
land  for  the  special  training  of  young  men  for  the  min- 
istry of  our  Church.  It  is  true  that  for  above  a  hundred 
years  after  the  country  was  settled  every  institution  of 
learning  above  the  common  school,  male  and  female,  was 
under  the  direction  of  Calvinists,  but  for  the  special 
training  of  Presbyterian  ministers  there  was  none.     A 


THE  HISTORY  IX  DETAIL.  51 

change,  however,  was  coming.  Almost  simultaneously 
with  the  founding  of  the  Presbytery  there  arose  a  school 
where  its  candidates  for  the  ministry  could  be  educated. 

PRESBYTERIANISM    AT   THIS    TIME. 

Before  1705  there  were  many  traces  of  our  system  to 
be  found  in  New  England  and  New  York,  with  prob- 
ably a  few  churches.  The  church  of  Jamaica,  Long  Isl- 
and, claims  to  have  been  organized  as  early  as  1GG2. 
According  to  Dr.  Hatfield,  "A  considerable  number 
of  Presbyterians,  ministers  and  people,  emigrated  from 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  to  New  England  during 
the  troubles  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  were 
absorbed  in  the  Congregational  churches,  at  that  time 
differing  but  very  little  from  Presbyterian  churches." 
The  Hartford  North  Association  in  1799  affirmed  "that 
the  constitution  of  the  churches  in  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut is  not  Congregational,  but  contains  the  essen- 
tials of  the  government  of  the  Church  of  Scotland." 
These  were  often  spoken  of  as  Presbyterian  churches. 
Dr.  Hatfield  adds :  "  Colonies  from  these  Connecticut 
churches  planted  themselves  at  an  early  day  on  Long 
Island  and  in  East  Jersey,  and  the  churches  which 
they  organized — Southampton  (1640),Southold  (1641), 
Elizabethtown  (1666)  and  Newark  (1667) — eventually 
became  Presbyterian  almost  as  soon  as  they  had  the 
opportunity." 

In  Philadelphia  and  south  of  it  there  had  been  still 
more  direct  efforts  for  setting  up  our  churches.  It 
was  a  lamentable  thins:  that  the  establishins;  of  our 
cause  in  Philadelphia  encountered  an  opposition  that 
amounted  almost  to  persecution.  The  officials  of  the 
British  Government,  being  connected  with  the  English 
Church,  did  what  they  could  to  prevent  Presbyterian- 


52  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

ism  from  taking  root.  At  one  time  they  decried  it ;  at 
another  they  maligned  it ;  at  all  times  they  put  every 
obstacle  in  its  way.  But  in  the  face  even  of  Govern- 
ment opposition  it  continued  to  spread  and  prosper. 

The  chief  agent,  under  God,  in  its  first  movements 
was  the  Rev.  Jedediah  Andrews,  from  New  England. 
This  man  held  such  a  conspicuous  place  in  our  first  his- 
tory that  he  is  worthy  of  special  notice.  He  was  born 
at  Hingham,  Mass.,  July  7, 1674.  Having  been  licensed 
in  New  England,  he  came  to  Philadelphia  and  began 
his  life-work.  His  first  preaching  in  this  city  was  to  a 
congregation  chiefly  of  New  Englanders,  and  in  a  loft 
of  what  was  called  "  the  Barbadoes  warehouse,"  at  the 
north-west  corner  of  Second  and  Chestnut  streets.  It 
is  remarkable,  as  showing  the  weakness  of  the  denomi- 
nations at  that  time,  that  he  preached  alternately  to 
the  Presbyterians  in  the  Barbadoes  warehouse  and  to 
the  Baptists  in  the  Pennypack  Baptist  church,  about 
nine  miles  north  of  the  city.  In  the  year  1701  he 
was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church, 
Philadelphia,  then  just  organized.  Of  this  pioneer  of  our 
Presbytery,  so  greatly  favored  of  Providence,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Patterson  writes  in  his  valuable  article  in  the  Ter- 
centenary  Booh :  "  Born  in  Massachusetts  in  1674  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  in  1694,  he  came  to  Philadelphia 
when  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age.  If  Dr.  Frank- 
lin's opinion  is  to  be  depended  upon,  he  was  not  an 
attractive  preacher.  .  .  .  But  whatever  may  have  been 
the  pulpit  powers  of  the  first  Philadelphia  pastor,  he 
was  abundant  in  labors.  In  addition  to  the  perform- 
ance of  the  ministerial  work  in  his  own  congregation, 
he  traveled  freely  as  an  evangelist  through  the  sur- 
rounding country.  He  was,  moreover,  until  very  near 
his  death,  recording  clerk  both  of  the  Presbytery  and 


THE  HISTORY  IN  DETAIL.  53 

of  the  Synod,  of  wliich  latter  body  he  was  also  the  first 
Moderator." 

Before  the  organization  of  the  Presbytery  the  church 
of  Freehold,  New  Jersey,  was  organized,  in  1G92,  and 
the  First  church  of  Philadelphia  in  1098. 

We  must  here  introduce  the  man  who  had  more  to  do 
than  any  other  with  laying  the  foundations  of  Presby- 
terianism  in  this  country — the  Rev.  Francis  Makemie. 
He  was  born  near  Rathmelton,  Donegal  county,  Ire- 
land, but  the  date  of  his  birth  is  not  known.  lie  was 
a  student  at  one  of  the  Scottish  universities.  He  was 
introduced  to  the  Presbytery  by  his  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Drummond,  in  January,  1681,  and  was  li- 
censed bv  the  same  Presbvtery  some  time  before  the 
close  of  that  year.  In  1683  he  was  ordained,  and  on 
■the  application  of  a  settlement  of  Irish  Presbyterians  in 
this  country  he  was  sent  as  a  missionary  to  these  scat- 
tered sheep  in  the  great  American  wilderness.  He  set- 
tled at  Rehoboth  in  Maryland,  and  gathered  the  people 
there,  and  in  other  settlements  round  about,  into  Pres- 
byterian churches.  In  the  first  year  of  his  residence 
there  he  organized  the  church  of  Snow  Hill.  As  an 
itinerant  missionary  he  went  from  place  to  place  on 
the  Eastern  Shore  of  Maryland,  extending  his  journeys 
into  Virginia  and  even  as  far  as  South  Carolina.  At  his 
solicitation,  the  Rev.  John  Hampton  and  Rev.  George 
MacNish  were  sent  out  by  certain  earnest  Christians  of 
London  to  itinerate  in  this  new  missionary  field.  At  the 
same  time  there  were  laboring  in  Delaware  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Davis,  from  Ireland,  and  the  Rev.  John  "Wil- 
son, from  Scotland. 

The  state  of  the  cause  of  Presbyterianism  in  the 
whole  country  may  be  seen  from  a  letter  which  was 
sent  by  the  Presbytery  five  years  after  its  organization 


54  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

to  the  Presbytery  of  Dublin,  Ireland.  It  is  dated  Sep- 
tember, 1710,  and  contains  these  words:  "As  to  the 
state  of  the  Church  in  these  parts,  our  interest  truly  is 
very  weak,  and  we  cannot  relate  this  matter  without 
sorrow  of  heart,  since  it  is  too  much  owing  to  the  neg- 
lect of  ministers  at  home.  In  all  Virginia  there  is  but 
one  small  Presbyterian  congregation,  at  Elizabeth  River, 
with  some  few  families  favoring  our  way  in  Rappahan- 
nock and  York ;  in  Maryland  there  are  only  four,  in 
Pennsylvania  five,  and  in  the  Jerseys  two ;  which 
bounds,  with  some  places  of  New  York,  make  up  all 
the  places  we  have  any  members,  and  at  present  some 
of  these  are  vacant." 

Add  to  the  foregoing  the  church  of  Jamaica,  Long 
Island,  and  we  have  thirteen  as  the  sum-total  of  all  the 
Presbyterian  churches  in  the  country  five  years  after- 
the  Presbytery  was  established.  As  no  doubt  four  or 
five  of  these  had  been  organized  after  1705,  there  could 
not  have  been  more  than  six  or  seven  at  the  start  of  the 
Presbytery.  Of  these,  the  chief  were  Snow  Hill,  Free- 
hold, Philadelphia,  Bensalem,  perhaps  Norriton  and  Ja- 
maica. 

ORGANIZATION'   NEEDED. 

The  cause  was  very  weak,  yet  the  good  men  of 
the  day  began  to  feel  that  it  was  time  the  scattered 
churches  and  ministers  should  be  united  into  one  body. 
Hitherto  they  had  been  completely  isolated,  each  min- 
ister and  congregation  pursuing  a  separate  course,  with- 
out the  advantages  of  co-operation.  The  necessity  for 
organization  was  felt,  because  such  was  the  example 
of  the  apostolic  believers ;  because  of  the  sympathy 
with  each  other  it  would  concentrate  and  foster ;  be- 
cause it  would  aid  in  the  great  missionary  work  to 
which  they  were  called    in  cultivating  the  wilderness 


THE  HISTORY  IN  DETAIL.  55 

country  ;  antl  because  it  would  give  the  strength  of 
union  in  their  peculiarly  trying  circumstances.  Such 
considerations  as  these  must  have  pressed  upon  their 
minds  and  caused  them  to  yearn  greatly  for  that 
association  in  Presbytery  to  which  most  of  them 
had  been  accustomed  in  other  lands.  They  doubtless 
stood  ready  for  the  earliest  day  when  the  organiza- 
tion could  be  formed. 

ORGANIZATION    EFFECTED. 

The  time  to  form  a  Presbytery  seemed  to  have  come. 
Upon  consultation  and  inquiry  it  was  found  that  there 
were  enough  ministers  and  churches  for  the  purpose 
within  reach.  It  is  true  that  the  numbers  were  few 
and  widely  scattered.  But  they  were  slowly  increas- 
ing, and  were  destined  to  increase  in  an  unlimited 
measure.  As  there  were  already  seven  ministers  and 
a  few  churches  ready  to  unite  in  the  much-desired 
body,  there  was  no  need  for  any  further  delay.  The 
time  for  the  Presbytery  manifestly  had  come. 

Then  the  Presbytery  was  constituted.  It  was  the 
first,  and  for  eleven  years  the  only,  Presbytery  on  this 
continent.  Its  formation  was  an  ever-memorable  epoch 
in  our  Presbyterian  Church.  The  names  of  the  minis- 
ters who  composed  it  should  be  kept  in  lasting  remem- 
brance. They  were — Francis  Makemie,  George  jNIac- 
Nish,  Samuel  Davis  and  John  Hampton  from  Ire- 
land, and  Nathaniel  Taylor  and  John  "Wilson  from 
Scotland,  and  Jedediah  Andrews  from  New  England 
— seven  in  all. 

It  is  important  that  we  make  a  record  of  the  respec- 
tive localities  whence  these  seven  brethren  came  to 
form  the  Presbytery.  Francis  Makemie,  John  Hamp- 
ton,   George   MacNish   and    Samuel   Davis   were    all 


56  PBESBYTEBY  OF  THE  LOO  COLLEGE. 

from  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Maryland ;  Nathaniel  Tay- 
lor, from  Upper  Marlborough ;  John  Wilson,  from 
New  Castle ;  and  Jedediah  Andrews,  of  Philadelphia. 
It  does  not  appear  that  they  were  all  at  the  time  settled 
pastors,  and  some  of  the  churches  were  scarcely  or- 
ganized. 

The  year  1705,  in  which  this  great  event  occurred, 
should  ever  be  remembered  as  the  date  of  the  birth  of 
our  Church  as  an  organized  body.  At  that  time  our 
history  begins.  That  little  band  of  seven  ministers — 
the  names  or  number  of  elders  we  do  not  know — with 
four  or  five  congregations,  formed  the  germ  from  which 
God  has  raised  our  Church,  now  the  largest  Presbyte- 
rian body  in  the  world.  A  new  era  dawned  upon  the 
cause  of  Presbyterianism  when  the  scattered  churches 
were  united  in  one  organization ;  a  power  had  been 
established  to  which  each  member  was  responsible,  an 
authority,  recognized  as  such,  instituted  to  direct  the 
reception,  to  superintend  the  work  of  each  minister,  and 
to  systematize  and  carry  on  the  evangelization  of  the 
whole  territory  with  which  the  new  Church  had  been 
providentially  entrusted.  The  Presbyterian  Church  of 
America  had  now  taken  form  and  entered  upon  a  career 
of  widely-extended  power  and  usefulness.  It  was  desti- 
tute of  patronage  and  feeble  in  resources.  It  was  strong 
only  in  faith  and  godliness. 


CHAPTER  V. 
FORMATIVE  PERIOD,  1705-1788. 

This  period  of  eighty-three  years,  extending  from 
the  organization  of  the  Presbytery  in  1705  to  tlie  or- 
ganization of  the  General  Assembly  in  1788,  is  the  most 
momentous  period  of  our  history  in  the  tendencies  it 
awakened  and  the  influences  it  produced.  It  may  well 
claim  our  earnest  attention  as  we  study  the  orderings 
of  God's  providence  in  the  years  through  which  he  has 
since  led  us.  We  must  give  much  space  to  it,  entering 
minutely  into  the  examination  of  events  which  had 
an  all-potent  influence  in  moulding  the  history  which 
came  after  them.  Not  only  is  there  an  interest  almost 
romantic  in  those  events  themselves,  but  their  bearing 
upon  the  whole  character  and  work  of  our  Church  can 
scarcely  be  too  highly  estimated.  Presbytery  had  been 
started  upon  its  career :  AVhat  was  that  cai-eer  to  be  ? 
Hovy  long  should  it  last?  How  widely  would  it  ex- 
tend ?  What  would  be  its  influence  upon  our  country 
and  the  world  ?  What  would  be  its  character  in  lov- 
alty  to  tlie  King,  in  zeal  for  the  redemption  of  human- 
ity, in  the  manifestation  and  dissemination  of  truth  and 
righteousness?  The  Presbytery  was  then  started  upon 
its  career,  and,  guided  and  blessed  by  the  good  hand  of 
its  Lord,  that  career  has  been  magniiicent. 

We  have  already  said  that  the  subse(iuont  chnrnetor  of 
the  Presbytery  would  be  in  accordance  with  the  mould- 
ing it  should  receive  during  this  formative  period.    The 

57 


58  PBESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

customs  of  work  and  worship  which  then  should  be 
established  in  the  churches  would  necessarily  continue. 
The  first  movements  would  materially  influence  all  that 
would  come  after.  The  spirit  and  the  plans  of  those 
early  days  would  impress  themselves  so  deeply  that 
future  years  could  neither  annul  nor  change  them. 
Every  church  then  formed,  entered  upon  a  career  that, 
prolonged,  widening,  deepening,  would  exert  an  ever- 
increasing  influence.  An  omniscient  eye  alone  could 
have  seen  in  those  first  events  what  the  Presbytery  has 
been,  is  now  and  will  be  until  its  earthly  career  is  ended, 
A  synopsis  of  these  formative  events  will  define  the 
important  eras  of  the  period.  The  princij^al  events 
during  the  eighty-three  years  were — The  founding  of 
the  Log  College  in  1725;  "the  Adopting  Act"  in  1729 ; 
the  visit  of  Whitefield  in  1739  ;  the  Old  and  New  Light 
schism  in  1741 ;  the  healing  of  the  schism  in  1758. 
Other  events  of  great  moment  were,  three  great  tides  of 
immigration — one  of  Scotch-Irish,  about  1719  ;  another 
of  Scotch-Irish,  about  1736  ;  and  one  of  Germans,  who 
prepared  churches  for  us,  about  1765.  It  will  be  seen 
that  each  of  these  immigration  movements  was  associ- 
ated with  some  special  development  of  the  Church — as 
that  of  1719  with  the  formation  of  the  first  Synod; 
that  of  1736  with  the  great  revival  following  the  la- 
bors of  Whitefield  and  the  sons  of  the  Log  College ; 
and  that  of  1765  with  the  establishment  of  the  German 
churches  of  Germantown,  Frankford  and  vicinity.  To 
investigate  these  leading  epochs  of  the  history,  with  the 
intervening  periods,  will  now  be  our  effort. 

SYNOD    CONSTITUTED. 

The  Presbytery  started  on  its  career  as  an  organ- 
ized body  in  1705,  and  pursued  a  quiet  and  but  little- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  59 

known  course  for  twenty-four  years.  Its  records  dur- 
ing that  pei-iod  were  but  very  meagre.  Two  or  three 
churches  were  organized,  which  will  be  noticed  in  an- 
other place.  In  the  year  following  the  organization,  or 
in  170G,  John  Boyd  was  carefully  examined  and  then 
ordained — the  first  Presbyterian  minister  ordained  on 
this  continent.  The  first  eleven  years  rolled  on  without 
any  event  which  calls  for  special  notice. 

At  the  end  of  that  time,  however,  in  171G,  there  oc- 
curred an  event  of  very  great  moment — the  constitution 
of  the  Jirst  Spiod.  In  this  we  see  the  progress  of  the 
cause,  find  a  marked  event  in  the  history  and  one  of 
the  footprints  of  God's  providence.  The  act  establishing 
the  Synod  was  passed  at  a  meeting  of  the  Pivsbytery, 
held  in  Philadelphia,  September  li),  1710,  at  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  Moderator  was  the 
Rev.  John  Hampton,  and  there  were  present  eight 
ministers  and  four  elders — twelve  members  in  all. 
Nine  ministei*s  of  the  Presbytery  were  absent.  From 
this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  seven  ministers  original- 
ly constituting  the  Presbytery  had,  in  eleven  years,  in- 
creased to  seventeen.  The  act  establishing  the  Synod 
is  so  full  and  explicit  that  we  shall  give  it  in  the  origi- 
nal words: 

"It  having  pleased  Divine  Providence  so  to  increase 
our  number,  as  that,  after  much  deliberation,  we  judge 
it  may  be  more  serviceable  to  the  interest  of  religion, 
to  divide  ourselves  into  subordinate  meetings  or  Presby- 
teries, constituting  one  annually  as  a  Synod,  to  meet  at 
Philadelphia  or  elsewhere,  to  consist  of  all  the  members 
of  each  subordinate  Presbytery  or  meeting  for  this  year 
at  least :  Therefore  it  is  agreed  by  the  Presbytery,  after 
serious  deliberation,  that  the  first  subordinate  meeting 
or  Presbytery,  to  meet  at  Philadelphia  or  elsewhere,  as 


60  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

they  shall  see  fit,  do  consist  of  these  following  members, 
— viz. :  Masters  Andrews,  Jones,  Powell,  Orr,  Bradner, 
and  Morgan.  And  the  second  to  meet  at  New  Castle 
or  elsewhere,  as  they  shall  see  fit,  to  consist  of  these, 
viz. :  Masters  Anderson,  McGill,  Gillespie,  Wotherspoon, 
Evans,  and  Conn.  The  third  to  meet  at  Snow  Hill  or  else- 
where, to  consist  of  these — viz. :  Masters  Davis,  Hampton, 
and  Henry.  And  in  consideration  that  only  our  breth- 
ren Mr.  McNish  and  Mr.  Pumry,  are  of  our  number 
uj)on  Long  Island  at  present,  we  earnestly  recommend 
it  to  them  to  use  their  best  endeavors  with  the  neighbor- 
ing brethren  that  are  settled  there,  which  as  yet  join  not 
with  us,  to  join  with  them  in  erecting  a  fourth  Presby- 
tery. And  as  to  the  time  of  the  meeting  of  the  respect- 
ive Presbyteries,  it  is  ordered  that  that  be  left  to  their 
own  discretion."* 

Such  was  the  action  which  established  the  first  Synod, 
and,  accordingly,  that  Synod  held  its  first  meeting  in 
Philadelphia,  commencing  its  sittings  September  17, 
1717,  with  Rev.  Jedediah  Andrews  as  its  Moderator, 
and  thirteen  ministers  and  six  elders  as  members. 

After  this,  thirteen  years  pass  away,  leaving  records 
chiefly  of  ordinary  work  and  progress.  One  noticeable 
event  is  found  among  such  records — namely,  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Rev.  William  Tennent.  Mr.  Tennent  came 
from  Ireland,  where  he  had  been  connected  with  the 
Episcopal  Church.  He  ajopeared  before  Synod,  and, 
applying  to  be  received  as  one  of  its  members,  and 
giving  satisfactory  evidence  of  his  qualifications  for 
the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  with  his  rea- 
sons for  leaving  the  Episcopal  Church,  he  was  received 
into  the  full  discharge  of  the  sacred  ofiice  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.     The  subsequent  invaluable  services 

*  Records  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  pp.  45  and  46. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  61 

of  this  great  and  good  man  make  his  reception  into  the 
Presbyterian  Church  an  epoch  in  its  history. 

THE    ADOPTING   ACT. 

Twenty-four  years'  life  of  the  organized  body  had  now 
elapsed,  and  slow  but  steady  progress  had  been  made. 
The  seven  ministers  of  the  original  organization  had 
increased  to  twenty-seven.  A  new  step  in  the  j)erfect- 
ing  of  the  organization  became  a  necessity.  The  Church 
had  no  authorized  Creed.  It  is  probable  that — most  of 
them  having  come  from  Ireland  and  a  few  from  Scot- 
land— the  ministers  had  followed  the  Westminster  Con- 
fession and  Catechisms,  with  which  they  were  familiar. 
At  any  rate,  there  had  been  no  action  defining  the 
Church's  standards.  Thoughtful  men  began  to  reflect 
and  to  feel  that  something  must  be  done  in  this  matter 
for  the  Church's  influence  and  safety.  Error  at  the  time 
was  beginning  to  prevail,  both  at  home  and  abroad. 
"  The  alarming  prevalence  of  Arminianism,  Pelagian- 
ism,  Arianism  and  Socinianism  among  some  of  the 
Reformed  churches  of  Europe,  and  even  in  Scotland 
and  Ireland,  as  also  the  boldness  with  which  deistical 
opinions  were  avowed  and  disseminated  among  educated 
circles  at  home  and  abroad,  called  for  the  erection  of  a 
barrier  against  the  spread  of  those  errors  among  their 
ministers  and  people." 

The  churches,  moreover,  were  beginning  to  become 
so  numerous  and  to  be  composed  of  such  diverse  ele- 
ments that  it  was  necessary  something  should  be  done 
to  give  them  homogeneity,  so  that  they  might  not  be- 
come discordant  in  faith,  as  thev  alreadv  were  in  local- 
ity  and  nationality.  Perhaps  tendencies  to  error  and 
discord  were  already  appearing.  All  these  things 
being    considered,   it    was    manifest   that   the    formal 


62  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

adoption  of  some  standard  of  faith  and  practice  could 
be  delayed  no  longer. 

Accordingly,  the  important  action  was  taken  by  the 
Synod  of  passing  "  the  Adopting  Act,"  September  18, 
1729.  In  that  memorable  meeting  of  Synod  there 
were  present  twenty  ministers,  among  them  Jedediah 
Andrews,  Thomas  Craighead,  Gilbert  Tennent,  Adam 
Boyd,  Jonathan  Dickinson,  William  Tennent  and  John 
Willson.  There  were  also  thirteen  elders,  among  them 
William  Blair,  John  Allen,  James  Galbreath,  Jonathan 
Fithian  and  John  Cross.  The  Moderator  was  the  Rev. 
James  Anderson. 

The  body  met  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  that 
18tli  of  September,  1729.  The  following  is  a  copy  of 
their  important  action : 

"  The  committee "  (appointed  the  previous  year) 
"  brought  in  an  overture  upon  the  affair  of  the  Con- 
fession, which,  after  long  debating  upon  it,  was  agreed 
upon  in  hcec  verba. 

"  Although  the  Synod  do  not  claim  or  pretend  to  any 
authority  of  imposing  our  faith  upon  other  men's  con- 
sciences, but  do  profess  our  just  dissatisfaction  with  and 
abhorrence  of  such  impositions,  and  do  utterly  disclaim 
all  legislative  power  and  authority  in  the  Church,  being 
willing  to  receive  one  another  as  Christ  has  received  us 
to  the  glory  of  God,  and  admit  to  fellowship  in  sacred 
ordinances,  all  such  as  we  have  grounds  to  believe  Christ 
will  at  last  admit  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  yet  we  are 
undoubtedly  obliged  to  take  care  that  the  faith  once  de- 
livered to  the  saints  be  kept  pure  and  uncorrupt  among 
us,  and  so  handed  down  to  our  posterity  ;  and  do  there- 
fore agree  that  all  the  ministers  of  this  Synod,  or  that 
shall  hereafter  be  admitted  into  this  Synod,  shall  declare 
their  agreement  in,  and  approbation  of,  the  Confession  of 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  63 

Faith,  with  the  Larger  and  Shorter  Catechisms  of  the 
Assembly  of  Divines  at  Westminster,  as  being  in  all  the 
essential  and  necessary  articles,  good  forms  of  sound 
words  and  systems  of  Ciiristian  doctrine,  and  do  also 
adopt  the  said  Confession  and  Catechisms  as  the  con- 
fession of  our  faith.  And  we  do  also  agree,  that  all  the 
Presbyteries  within  our  bounds  shall  always  take  care 
not  to  admit  any  candidate  of  the  ministry  into  the 
exercise  of  the  sacred  function  but  what  declares  his 
agreement  in  opinion  with  all  the  essential  and  neces- 
sary articles  of  said  Confession,  either  by  subscribing 
the  said  Confession  of  Faith  and  Catechisms,  or  by  a 
verbal  declaration  of  their  assent  thereto,  as  such  min- 
ister or  candidate  shall  think  best.  And  in  case  any 
minister  of  this  Synod,  or  any  candidate  for  the  minis- 
try, shall  have  any  scruple  with  respect  to  any  article 
or  articles  of  said  Confession  or  Catechisms,  he  shall 
at  the  time  of  his  making  said  declaration  declare 
his  sentiments  to  the  Presbytery  or  Synod,  who  shall, 
notwithstanding,  admit  him  to  the  exercise  of  the  min- 
istry within  our  bounds,  and  to  ministerial  communion, 
if  the  Presbytery  or  Synod  shall  judge  his  scruple  or 
mistake  to  be  only  about  articles  not  essential  and  nec- 
essary in  doctrine,  worship,  or  government.  But  if  the 
Synod  or  Presbytery  shall  judge  such  ministers  or  can- 
didates erroneous  in  essential  and  necessary  articles  of 
faith,  the  Synod  or  Presbytery  shall  declare  them  un- 
capable  of  communion  with  them.  And  the  Synod  do 
solemnly  agree,  that  none  of  us  shall  traduce  or  use  any 
opprobrious  terms  of  those  that  differ  from  us  in  these 
extra-essential  and  not  necessary  points  of  doctrine,  but 
treat  them  with  the  same  friendship,  kindness,  and 
brotherly  love  as  if  they  had  not  differed  from  us  in 
such  sentiments." — Records,  p.  94. 


64  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

Such  was  the  "Adopting  Act "  as  passed  on  the  fore- 
noon of  that  memorable  18th  of  September.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day  there  was  other  action  of 
the  Synod  which  shows  the  spirit  in  which  it  was 
passed,  and  which  its  history  demands  that  we  recite : 

"All  the  ministers  of  this  Synod  now  present,  except 
one  that  declared  himself  not  prepared — viz.  Masters 
Jedediah  Andrews,  Thomas  Craighead,  John  Thomson, 
James  Anderson,  John  Pierson,  Samuel  Gelston,  Joseph 
Houston,  Gilbert  Tennent,  Adam  Boyd,  Jonathan  Dick- 
inson, John  Bradner,  Alexander  Hutchinson,  Thomas 
Evans,  Hugh  Stevenson,  William  Tennent,  Hugh  Conn, 
George  Gillespie,  and  John  Willson,  after  proposing  all 
the  scruples  that  any  of  them  had  to  make  against  any 
articles  and  expressions  in  the  Confession  of  Faith  and 
Larger  and  Shorter  Catechisms  of  the  Assembly  of 
Divines  at  Westminster,  have  unanimously  agreed  in 
the  solution  of  those  scruples,  and  in  declaring  the  said 
Confession  and  Catechisms  to  be  the  confession  of  their 
faith,  excepting  only  some  clauses  in  the  twentieth  and 
twenty-third  chapters,  concerning  which  clauses  the 
Synod  do  unanimously  declare,  that  they  do  not  receive 
those  articles  in  any  such  sense  as  to  sujipose  the  civil 
magistrate  hath  a  controlling  power  over  Synods  with 
respect  to  the  exercise  of  their  ministerial  authority ; 
or  power  to  persecute  any  for  their  religion,  or  in  any 
sense  contrary  to  the  Protestant  succession  to  the  throne 
of  Great  Britain. 

"  The  Synod  observing  that  unanimity,  peace,  and 
unity,  which  appeared  in  all  their  consultations  and 
determinations  relating  to  the  affair  of  the  Confession, 
did  unanimously  agree  in  giving  thanks  to  God  in  sol- 
emn prayer  and  praises." — Records,  pp.  94,  95. 

Such  is  the  history  of  the  adoption  of  those  doctrinal 


J 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  65 

standards  of  our  Church  to  which  we  still  adhere.  They 
have  now  remained  as  our  standards  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty-nine  years.  They  have  continued  unchanged 
as  to  essential  articles,  and  almost  unassailed,  as  some 
rock  against  which  all  winds  and  waves  break  in  vain 
rage. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

FORMATIVE  PERIOD  {Continued):    THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 
NOT   DULY    APPRECIATED. 

The  agency  of  the  Log  College  in  the  establishing 
of  our  Presbytery,  and  indeed  of  the  Church,  has 
never  been  properly  appreciated.  It  had  a  much 
greater  influence  than  anything  we  have  seen  written 
on  the  subject  would  indicate.  A  fuller  history  than 
any  with  which  we  are  acquainted  not  only  would 
be  interesting,  but  would  also,  no  doubt,  bring  to  light 
many  important  facts  of  those  early  days.  Yet  no 
monument  of  it  has  ever  been  erected,  nothing  exists 
to  indicate  the  place  where  it  stood — even  the  spot  it 
occupied  is  known  to  but  few.     Why  is  this? 

Assuredly  the  great  work  which,  in  its  time,  the  Log 
College  did  for  the  whole  Church  ought  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. There  is  nothing  that  stands  out  more  clearly 
in  our  early  annals  than  does  the  conspicuous  part  that 
was  taken  by  it  in  every  leading  movement.  In  it  were 
collected  the  great  and  good  men  whose  influence  was 
felt  in  exalting  the  piety  of  the  whole  body.  By  it  were 
educated  those  excellent  ministers  who  founded  and 
built  up  so  many  of  our  churches.  It  was  the  centre 
from  which  radiated  the  learning,  the  piety  and  the  zeal 
which  gave  to  the  Presbytery  the  best  elements  that 
have  always  marked  its  character.  The  early  history 
of  the  Presbytery  must  ever  stand  associated  with  the 
Log  College.     It  was  the  first  institution  in  the  whole 

66 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  67 

land  intended  for  tlie  education  of  Presbyterian  minis- 
ters. Nearly  all  the  ministers  who  were  first  ordained 
in  our  Church,  and  many  of  the  greatest  preachers  we 
have  ever  had,  were  educated  there. 

If  it  was  the  first  educational  institution  of  the  kind 
in  the  land,  the  training-school  of  so  many  of  our  most 
eminent  preachers,  the  mother  of  many  other  similar 
institutions,  and  intimately  associated  with  some  of  the 
most  important  movements  of  our  Church  in  its  first 
years,  why  is  it  not  held  in  higher  esteem  by  all  who 
love  our  cause  ?  Its  value  has  been  recognized  by  a  few 
who  have  studied  it,  as  by  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander, 
who  wrote  of  it:  "If  I  were  fond  of  projects  I  would 
propose  that  a  monument  be  erected  to  the  founder 
of  the  Log  College  on  the  very  site  where  the  building 
stood,  if  the  land  could  be  purchased  ;  but,  at  any  rate, 
a  stone  with  an  inscription  might  be  permanently  fixed 
on  or  near  the  ground."  But  why  is  it  so  little  known  ? 
Why  has  there  been  so  little  written  concerning  it  ? 

The  Log  College  was  located  within  the  bounds  of 
the  Presbytery,  and  consequently,  if  its  history  is  to 
be  preserved  by  any  part  of  the  Church,  it  should  be 
by  us.  Its  founder  was  one  of  our  members  during 
his  ministerial  life,  his  family  was  connected  with  one 
of  our  churches,  and  his  four  sons  were  among  the  first 
preachers  of  our  Synod.  We  therefore  should  tell  the 
story  of  its  almost  romantic  history.  Moreover,  the 
influence  of  this  institution  is  so  inwrought  with  all  the 
early  movements  of  our  Presbytery  that  its  history  be- 
comes necessary  in  order  to  understand  these  move- 
ments. Questions  of  vital  import  to  the  cause,  which 
were  earnestly  discussed  in  the  early  days,  either  orig- 
inated among  the  adherents  of  the  college  or  were 
warmly  advocated  by  them.   The  college  was  the  centre 


68  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO  COLLEGE. 

of  certain  principles  which  have  conspired  to  make  our 
Church  what  it  is.  It  was  a  power,  a  name,  a  rallying- 
point  which  had  great  influence  there. 

We  would  therefore  strive  to  rescue  it  from  that 
neglect  or  oblivion  which  undeservedly  has  befallen  it, 
and  attempt  to  bring  it  forth  into  that  prominence  in 
history  which  of  right  belongs  to  it.  It  was  not  the 
Church,  but  it  was  so  closely  connected  with  it,  and 
had  such  an  influence  on  its  destiny,  that  the  College 
and  the  Church  must  both  go  together. 

THE    FOUNDER. 

William  Tennent  is  the  man  who  is  all  in  all  in 
the  history  of  this  institution.  By  him  it  was  founded, 
by  him  it  was  conducted  and  by  him  it  was  made  to  rise 
to  all  its  importance.  His  name  must  ever  stand  with 
the  names  of  those  most  worthy  of  honor  in  the  Church 
— with  the  names  of  Makemie  and  Andrews  and  Alex- 
ander and  Hodge  and  Barnes  and  Hatfield — as  a  foun- 
der of  an  institution  the  first  of  them  all. 

Briefly  does  Mr.  Turner  give  his  first  record : 
"  William  Tennent  was  born  in  or  about  1673.  He 
was  in  middle  life,  or  about  forty-four  years  of  age, 
when  he  first  reached  our  shores.  It  is  probable  that 
he  received  his  education  in  Trinity  College,  Dublin, 
as  he  was  originally  a  clergyman  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  of  Ireland,  in  which  he  was  ordained  a  deacon 
July  1,  1704,  and  a  priest  September  22,  1706.  He 
was  married  to  Catharine  Kennedy,  a  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Kennedy,  May,  1702,  in  the  county  Down,  in 
the  North  of  Ireland.  This  Mr.  Kennedy  was  an  able 
and  eloquent  Presbyterian  minister,  who,  having  suf- 
fered persecution  in  his  own  country,  fled  to  Holland. 
.  .  .  His   daughter,  who   became   Mrs.    Tennent,   was 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  69 

doubtless  a  woman  of  unusual  talent,  as  she  was  the 
mother  of  four  sons,  born  in  Ireland,  who  were  sub- 
sequently distinguished  preachers  of  the  gospel  in 
America.  Perhaps  it  was  through  her  influence  in 
part,  as  well  as  through  the  influence  of  his  father- 
in-law,  that  Mr.  Tennent  withdrew  from  the  Episcopal 
Church  and  entered  the  Presbyterian.  He  acted  in 
Ireland  as  chaplain  to  a  nobleman,  but  there  is  no  evi- 
dence that  he  ever  had  charge  of  a  parish  in  that  coun- 
try." This  brief  paragraph  gives  all  that  is  known  of 
the  early  life  of  Mr.  Tennent. 

In  1716  he  came  to  this  country,  and  his  reception 
by  our  Church,  which  had  then  grown  to  be  a  Synod, 
we  will  give  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Turner  :  "  On  the  IGth 
of  September,  1718,  he  applied  to  the  Synod  of  Phila- 
delphia for  admission  as  a  member,  having  previous 
to  that  time  been  an  Episcopalian.  The  Synod  were 
well  satisfied  with  the  credentials  he  presented,  and  with 
the  testimony  of  members  present  to  his  character,  stand- 
ing and  history,  and,  approving  the  reasons  which  he 
submitted  in  writing  for  leaving  the  Established  Church 
of  Ireland,  they  ordered  that  they  should  be  put  on 
record  '  ad  futuram  rei  memoriam.^  By  direction  of 
Synod,  the  Moderator,"  the  Rev.  Daniel  ^NIcGill,  "gave 
him  a  serious  exhortation  to  continue  steadfast  in  his 
now  holy  profession." 

During  the  three  years  which  followed  his  reception 
we  know  very  little  of  Mr.  Tennent.  He  spent  them 
in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York,  but  how  employed 
we  are  not  informed — probably  in  no  permanent  work. 
However,  there  was  on  the  highway  to  Pfiiladelplna, 
in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  a  small  settlement  of 
Presbyterians,  most  of  them  Mr.  Tennent's  countrymen, 
possibly  some  of  them  his  old  friends.    They  had  a  little 


70  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

church  at  Bensalem,  and  at  least  a  preaching-place  at 
Norrington  (now  Norriton).  Attracted  thither,  he  was 
invited  to  supply  the  Bensalem  church,  and,  small  and 
feeble  though  it  was  and  surrounded  on  every  side  by 
vast  forests,  he  removed  there  with  his  wife  and  four 
sons  in  the  year  1721.  His  great  life-work  really  be- 
gan at  this  time. 

In  that  new  field  he  continued  for  five  years,  or  until 
he  was  fifty-three  years  old.  We  say  that  his  great 
work  then  commenced,  for  there  is  scarce  a  question 
but  that  he  then  engaged  in  the  teaching  of  his  four 
sons,  and  so  in  fact  set  up  a  school.  These  sons  were, 
respectively,  Gilbert,  eighteen  ;  William,  sixteen  ;  John, 
fourteen  ;  and  Charles,  twelve  years  of  age.  At  these 
ages  five  years  could  not  with  propriety  be  taken  out 
of  their  course  of  schooling,  and  there  was  no  school 
to  which  they  could  go.  The  chief  part  of  their  educa- 
tion must  therefore  have  been  received  while  they  lived 
at  Bensalem,  and  their  father  must  have  been  their 
teacher — aided,  possibly,  by  their  mother.  But  one 
other  removal  awaited  the  family.  A  few  miles  from 
Bensalem  there  was  the  better  organized  church  of 
Neshaminy.  To  the  pastorate  of  that  Mr.  Tennent 
was  called  in  1726,  when  he  was  fifty-nine  years  old. 
That  call  he  accepted,  and  removed  there  with  his  fam- 
ily, and  thenceforth  Neshaminy  became  the  field  of  his 
labors,  so  continuing  during  the  rest  of  his  life. 

We  must  glance  for  a  moment  at  the  man.  Mr. 
Tennent  must  have  been  a  man  of  very  deep  and  earn- 
est piety,  as  well  as  of  great  soundness  in  the  faith  of 
his  adopted  Church,  Much  of  this,  there  can  hardly 
be  a  question,  was  owing  to  his  intercourse  with  his 
father-in-law,  Mr.  Kennedy,  who  was  evidently  a  very 
godly  man.     His  wife  also  probably  had  a  great  influ- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  71 

ence  in  establishing  hiui  in  his  belief  and  aiding  hiiu 
in  his  work.  He  was  a  superior  scholar  and  an  en- 
thusiast in  teaching.  He  could  write  Latin  with  ease 
and  speak  it  with  fluency.  An  address  made  by  hini 
to  the  Synod  in  that  language  shows  that  he  was  at 
home  in  its  use. 

Mr.  Tennent  was  a  child  of  Providence,  raised  up 
by  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  discii)lined  by  him 
and  led  to  the  performance  of  a  work  in  the  formation 
of  our  Church  the  importance  of  which  we  cannot 
overestimate.  He  should  be  considered  as  one  of  the 
chief  of  the  founders  of  our  Presbyterian  Church  in 
this  land. 

DESIGN    OF    THE   COLLEGE. 

The  first  aim  of  Mr.  Tennent  in  the  establishment 
of  the  school  undoubtedly  was  the  education  of  his  own 
four  sons.  With  them  it  is  likely  that  other  boys  of  the 
neighborhood  were  soon  associated  under  his  instruction. 
There  can  hardly  be  a  question  that  this  was  the  state  of 
affairs  during  the  five  years  at  Bensalem.  When,  how- 
ever, he  settled  permanently  at  Neshaminy,  a  wider  field 
of  influence  opened  before  him.  God  was  leading  him 
along  in  the  great  work  of  his  life. 

The  spiritual  wants  of  the  country  must  have  pressed 
heavily  upon  his  heart.  All  that  boundless  territory 
around  him  was  beginning  to  fill  up  with  inhabitants, 
and  scarcely  any  ministers  of  the  gospel  were  there  to 
preach  to  them  the  words  of  life.  And  from  whence 
were  properly  qualified  ministers  to  come  ?  The  only 
ministers  of  whom  he  would  think  were  such  as  were 
properly  trained  for  the  interpretation  of  the  Sacred 
Scriptures.  Only  such  as  were  well  educated  for  the 
work  would  he  desire.     Dr.  Alexander  well  presented 


72  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

the  case :  "  The  first  Presbyterian  ministers  in  this 
country  were  nearly  all  men  of  liberal  education. 
Some  had  received  their  education  in  the  universities 
of  Scotland,  some  in  Ireland,  and  others  at  one  of  the 
New  Englaud  colleges.  And  though  there  existed 
such  a  destitution  of  ministers  in  this  new  country, 
they  never  thought  of  introducing  any  man  into  the 
ministry  who  had  not  received  a  college  or  university 
education,  except  in  very  extraordinary  cases ;  of  which, 
I  believe,  we  have  but  one  instance  in  the  early  history 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  This  was  the  case  of  a 
Welshman  by  the  name  of  Evans,  who,  while  living  in 
a  place  called  the  Welsh  Tract,  where  the  people  had 
no  public  means  of  grace,  began  to  speak  to  them  of 
the  things  of  God  on  the  Sabbath  and  at  other  times ; 
and  his  labors  were  so  acceptable  and  useful  that  the 
Presbytery,  after  a  full  trial  of  his  abilities,  licensed 
him  to  preach,  and  afterward  ordained  him  to  the 
whole  work  of  the  ministry.  They  required  him,  how- 
ever, to  go  through  a  course  of  study  under  the  direc- 
tion of  certain  members  of  the  Presbytery." 

As  himself  an  educated,  zealous  and  wise  minister, 
Mr.  Tennent  felt  deeply  the  want  of  such  ministers. 
Why  might  not  the  want  be  met  by  his  enlarging  his 
own  school,  increasing  its  facilities  and  making  it  an 
institution  for  the  general  training  of  young  men  for  the 
ministry  ?  To  meet  this  want  was,  without  a  doubt,  the 
object  of  the  school.    Hence  the  beginning  of  the  college. 

How  much  our  Church  owes  to  this  wise,  good  and 
far-sighted  man !  Concerning  such  as  he  it  was  wisely 
said  by  Judge  Joseph  Allison  :  "  The  North  of  Ireland 
sent  us  large  stores  of  treasures — more  valuable  far  than 
gold  or  silver  or  precious  stones ;  she  sent  her  men,  em- 
inent for  their  piety  and  learning,  to  minister  in  our 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  73 

pulpits ;  and  with  them  came  a  tide  of  immigration 
that  bore  upon  its  waves  the  people  who  have  always 
stood  firm  in  their  faith  in  God,  adliering  witli  un- 
flinching tenacity  to  their  stern  and  rigid  Calvinism, 
by  whicli  sign  they  conquered.  One  name  among  the 
leaders  of  those  hosts  is  worthy  of  special  mention. 
If  he  were  alive  to-day  our  country  could  not  repay 
to  William  Tennent  the  debt  it  would  owe  to  him 
who  single-handed  established  in  the  county  of  Bucks 
his  humble  Log  College.  His  object  was  to  provide  an 
educated  ministry  for  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  this 
country ;  and  how  fully  his  purpose  has  been  attained 
you  will  understand  when  I  mention  the  fact,  known 
to  many  of  you,  that  the  Log  College,  founded  in  what 
was  then  almost  a  wilderness,  bloomed  into  Princeton 
College.  Four  of  the  sons  of  the  founder  of  the  Log 
College  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  their  father;  trained 
in  his  school,  they  preached  the  gospel  to  the  people, 
generally  to  the  Presbyterians  of  this  region,  round 
about  where  we  are  now  assembled.  One  of  those 
brothers,  Gilbert,  was  pre-eminent  in  his  day  as  a  man 
of  power,  whose  ministry  was  greatly  blessed  in  the 
conversion  of  many  souls." 

For  this  purpose,  of  educating  ministers,  William 
Tennent  diligently  preached,  taught  the  young  men, 
and  planned  and  wrought  to  put  up  tlie  needed  build- 
ing. This  was  the  great  mission  of  that  blessed  man 
as  he  contrived  and  prayed  and  struggled  all  the  rest 
of  his  life ;  his  effort  was  to  raise  up  an  educated  min- 
istry for  fhe  natural  and  moral  wilderness  into  which 
God  had  led  him. 

THE   FOUNDING    OF   THE    COLLEGE. 

We  have  already  said  that  while  Mr.  Tennent  was 


74  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

still  in  Bensalem  he  had  established  probably  a  school 
for  his  own  boys,  and  possibly  for  a  few  of  the  neigh- 
bors' children.  When,  in  1726,  he  settled  permanently 
in  Neshaminy  it  would  soon  become  manifest  that  some- 
thing more  extensive  must  be  undertaken.  New  stu- 
dents would  certainly  seek  admission  to  his  institution. 
Where  else  were  those  who  were  desirous  of  entering 
the  ministry  to  obtain  a  suitable  education  ?  Short  of 
New  England,  to  which  it  was  then  a  long  journey,  or 
of  Ireland  or  Scotland,  there  was  no  college  to  furnish 
such  training. 

Why  should  not  he,  now  that  he  was  permanently 
settled,  erect  such  an  educational  institution  ?  His  resi- 
dence lay  between  the  two  leading  cities  of  Philadelphia 
and  New  York,  and  on  the  great  highway  connecting 
them.  He  was  eminently  qualified  by  his  superior 
learning  and  love  of  teaching ;  his  heart  was  in  the 
work;  he  felt  the  want  most  deeply;  he  was  willing 
to  undertake  the  hard,  self-denying  labor.  And  how 
much  would  he  be  encouraged  and  strengthened  and 
probably  aided  in  his  noble  work  by  his  devoted  and 
brave  wife  Catharine ! 

The  first  and  indispensable  requisite  was  a  building 
in  which  the  school  could  be  held.  To  work,  then,  he 
went  in  that  enterprise  which,  in  that  time  and  place 
and  with  Mr,  Tennent's  scanty  means,  must  have  been 
a  very  serious  undertaking.  The  dwellings  in  the 
neighborhood  were  constructed  of  logs,  the  usual  mode 
of  building  in  those  days.  Let  this  house  for  the  school 
be  of  the  same  material.  Great  trees  in  abundance  were 
growing  all  round  the  spot  selected  as  its  site.  Down 
let  them  be  cut  and  hewed  by  the  axe  for  posts  and 
walls  and  roof. 

No  doubt  Mr.  Tennent  took  part  in  the  work  with  his 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  75 

own  hands,  guided  by  a  skilled  workman,  and  the  boys 
too  lent  their  frolicsome  aid.  The  woods  rang  with  the 
sound  of  the  blows  and  with  gleesome  shouts ;  the  oxen 
hauled  the  timbers,  which  were  quickly  elevated  to  their 
proper  place  in  the  rising  building.  It  was  soon  erected, 
for  it  was  not  an  elaborate  structure  or  of  large  dimen- 
sions,  being  only  twenty  feet  by  eighteen — not  larger 
than  many  a  modern  parlor. 

It  was  ready — the  neighbors  nicknamed  it  the  Log 
College — and  it  was  opened  for  the  school  in  1727. 
Probably  Mr.  Tennent  himself  never  thought  of  its  as- 
piring to  the  dignity  of  a  college.  But,  whether  he  did 
or  not,  a  college  it  became,  and  one  whose  influence  for 
good  was  wider  and  moi'e  permanent  than  that  of  mul- 
titudes of  others  which  have  borne  the  name. 

THE    COLLEGE    DESCRIBED. 

It  is  a  very  remarkable  fact  that  the  descrij)tion,  and 
the  only  one,  of  this  celebrated  seminary  which  has  come 
down  to  us  is  not  from  the  })en  of  any  one  connected 
with  it  or  of  any  other  writer  this  side  of  the  Atlantic, 
but  comes  from  England.  It  appears  in  the  writings 
of  the  eloquent  evangelist,  the  Ilev.  George  Wliiteiield, 
who  visited  it  when  it  was  in  the  prime  of  its  usefulness 
and  who  was  in  full  sympathy  with  its  spirit.  Its  loca- 
tion was  a  matter  of  much  si<i;nificance.  It  was  situated 
in  the  centre  of  the  Presbyterian  settlements  then  in 
the  land.  North  of  it  lay  the  infant  churches  of  East 
Jersey,  New  York,  Long  Island  and  a  few  in  New  Eng- 
land ;  south  of  it  were  those  of  Philadelphia,  West  Jer- 
sey, Delaware,  Maryland  and  Virginia  ;  and  west  of  it 
those  of  Chester  county  and  the  Cumberland  Valley. 
Whether  this  was  the  result  of  the  wise  planning  of 
the  founder  or  whether  it  was  simply  the  ordering  of 


76  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

God's  providence,  it  was  certainly  the  fact.  The  site 
and  immediate  surroundings  are  thus  described  by  Dr. 
Alexander:  "The  site  of  the  Log  College  is  about  a 
mile  from  that  part  of  Neshaminy  Creek  where  the 
Presbyterian  church  has  long  stood.  The  ground  near 
and  around  it  lies  handsomely  to  the  eye,  and  the  more 
distant  prospect  is  very  beautiful ;  for  while  there  is 
a  considerable  extent  of  fertile,  well-cultivated  land, 
nearly  level,  the  view  is  bounded  on  the  north  and 
west  by  a  range  of  hills  which  have  a  very  pleasing  ap- 
pearance." The  location  is  described  more  minutely  by 
the  Rev.  D.  K.  Turner,  who,  living  on  the  spot,  can  well 
describe  it  all :  "  It  was  about  a  mile  south  of  the  present 
village  of  Hartsville,  on  the  main  road  to  Philadelphia, 
eighteen  miles  north  of  that  city.  This  road  was  called 
the  '  York  Road,'  because  at  that  time  and  for  half  a 
century  or  more  afterward  it  was  the  principal  route 
of  travel  between  Philadelphia  and  New  York.  Over 
that  road  and  past  the  college  Benjamin  Franklin  and 
many  others  whose  names  are  found  in  the  early  rec- 
ords of  the  country  passed  to  and  fro  between  these 
cities." 

In  his  journal,  to  which  we  have  already  referred,  Mr. 
Whitefield  gives  the  dimensions  of  the  building  which 
we  know  from  no  other  source :  "  It  is  a  log  house 
about  twenty  feet  long  and  nearly  as  many  broad  ;  and 
to  me  it  seemed  to  resemble  the  school  of  the  old  proph- 
ets, for  their  habitations  were  mean  ;  and  that  they 
sought  not  great  things  for  themselves  is  plain  from 
those  passages  of  Scripture  wherein  we  are  told  that 
each  of  them  took  them  a  beam  to  build  them  a  house, 
and  that  at  the  feast  of  the  sons  of  the  prophets  one  of 
them  put  on  the  pot  whilst  the  others  went  to  fetch 
some  herbs  out  of  the  field.     All  that  we  can  say  of 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  77 

most  of  our  universities  is  that  they  are  glorious  with- 
out. From  this  despised  place  seven  or  eight  worthy 
ministers  of  Jesus  have  lately  been  sent  forth ;  more 
are  ready  to  be  sent,  and  the  foundations  are  now  lay- 
ing for  the  instruction  of  many  others."  Certainly  it 
was  a  very  insignificant  structure  to  have  done  such  a 
great  work  and  to  have  sent  out  such  immeasurable  in- 
fluences. 

Soon  after  the  institution  was  started  and  the  build- 
ing erected  there  became  connected  with  it  a  number 
of  Irish  boys  and  others  who  were  destined  to  become 
great  in  flime  as  well  as  in  piety  and  usefulness.  These 
should  be  named  here  in  order,  that  we  may  obtain  a 
more  vivid  view  of  its  daily  life.  Among  them  were  the 
four  sons  of  Mr.  Tennent,  already  mentioned — namely, 
Gilbert,  William,  John  and  Charles  ;  the  two  brothers, 
Samuel  and  John  Blair ;  Samuel  Finley,  William  Rob- 
inson, John  Rowland  and  Charles  Beatty.  It  is  doubt- 
ful whether  ever  before  or  since  ten  lads  were  collected 
in  the  same  school  who  were  afterward  to  accomplish  so 
much  good  in  their  own  day,  and  to  send  down  such 
streams  of  blessings  to  unborn  generations,  as  were  they. 
What  a  gratification  it  had  been  had  one  of  them  kept 
a  diary  of  the  daily  life  in  that  strange  seminary ! 
Would  we  not  then  have  seen  the  four  Tennent  youths 
coming  in  from  their  father's  house  across  the  road, 
and  probably  others  with  them;  others,  again,  from 
the  farm-homes  in  the  neighborhood,  where  they  were 
boarded ;  the  patriarch  taking  his  chair,  opening  the 
Bible  and  reverently  leading  in  the  devotions  of  the 
morning  ;  the  classes  in  succession  coming  up,  reciting 
the  studied  lessons,  and  listening  with  brightened  atten- 
tion to  the  stores  of  instruction  enthusiastically  im- 
parted by  their  beloved  teacher ;  the  eldest  son,  Gilbert, 


78  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

just  licensed  as  a  preacher,  aiding  his  father  in  the  in- 
creasing work  ;  the  keen  competition  in  the  classes 
where  there  were  so  many  acute  intellects ;  the  sweet 
spirit  of  piety  that  pervaded  every  exercise ;  the  inti- 
macies forming  among  these  youths  who  were  one  day 
to  be  amongst  the  greatest  preachers  and  the  holiest 
men  our  Church  has  ever  seen  ;  and  the  kindly  piety, 
learning  and  eloquence  which  left  abiding  impressions 
upon  all  our  early  history  ? 

EMINENT   MINISTERS    TROM    THE   COLLEGE. 

It  is  absolutely  startling  to  glance  at  the  list  of  the 
eminent  ministers — great  preachers,  the  greatest  in  the 
early  annals  of  our  Church — who  obtained  their  train- 
ing for  the  ministry  either  in  this  humble  institution 
or  in  other  schools  which  sprung  from  it.  There  rises 
before  us  a  galaxy  of  those  who  were  without  doubt 
among  the  most  famous  in  our  history.  Look  at  some 
of  their  names  :  Gilbert  Tennent,  D.  D.,  William  Ten- 
nent,  Jr.,  John  Tennent,  Charles  Tennent,  Samuel 
Blair,  John  Blair,  Samuel  Finley,  D.  D.,  William 
Robinson,  John  Rowland,  Charles  Beatty  and  Samuel 
Davis,  D.  D.  To  these  we  might  add  many  other  great 
names,  such  as  John  Rodgers,  D.  D.,  Alexander  Mc- 
Whorter,  D.  D.,  Alexander  Cumming  and  James  Wad- 
del,  D.  D.  God  seems  to  have  raised  up  these  wonder- 
ful men  that  they  might  be  his  instruments  in  laying 
deep  and  broad  the  foundations  of  our  Church.  No 
one  can  help  being  surprised  at  this  honored  list  of 
men  of  far  more  than  ordinary  eminence,  who  in  the 
formative  ages  of  our  Church  filled  the  first  places  of 
usefulness,  led  in  precious  revival  seasons,  became  the- 
ologians of  the  highest  rank,  thrilled  the  multitude 
wherever  they  went  with    their  eloquence,  swept  like 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  79 

flaming  torches  bearing  the  gospel  over  the  hind,  as 
missionaries  planted  the  gospel  in  every  quarter,  and 
left  names  which  were  themselves  a  power  and  which 
shall  live  while  the  Church  herself  is  alive. 

Probably  there  is  no  view  of  the  Log  College  which 
will  show  its  inestimable  value  to  the  Churcli  and  the 
country  so  well  as  this.  If  anything  can  impress  us 
with  a  sense  of  its  value,  surely  this  must.  "Was  not 
the  raising  up  of  these  men  through  its  instrumentality 
a  special  work  of  God's  providence  ? 

What  thorough  training  there  must  have  been  in  it ! 
What  a  spirit  of  devoted  piety  !  What  inspiration  of 
holy  zeal  to  have  produced  such  men  as  these  !  The 
surpassing  excellence  of  the  men  who  were  educated 
in  it  justifies  the  high  eulogium  pronounced  upon  it  by 
Dr.  Alexander  :  "One  advantage  which  they  possessed 
who  were  educated  in  the  Log  College  was,  that  the 
spirit  of  piety  seems  to  have  been  nourished  in  that 
institution  with  assiduous  care.  All  those,  as  far  as  we 
can  learn,  who  proceeded  from  this  school  were  men 
of  sound  orthodoxy,  evangelical  spirit,  glowing  zeal  and 
in  labors  very  abundant.  They  had  the  teaching  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and,  without  the  advantages  which  many 
others  enjoyed,  they  became  burning  and  shining 
lights.  ...  I  cannot  express  how  much  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  these  United  States  is  indebted  to  the 
labors  of  this  very  corps,  who  studied  successfully  the 
sacred  oracles  in  the  Log  College,  or,  more  probably, 
under  the  beautiful  groves  which  shaded  the  banks  of 
the  Neshaminy.  There  they  studied,  and  there  they 
prayed,  and  there  they  were  taught  of  God." 

The  writer  must  confess  that  he  has  been  aroused  to 
great  wonder  at  the  thought  of  so  many  men  such  a.s 
these  coming  from  that  one  unpretending  school.     One 


80  PRESBYTERY   OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

or  two  there  miglit  have  been,  as  exceptions,  towering 
up  far  above  the  rest,  but  there  were  so  many  of  them ! 
How  can  we  account  for  it  otherwise  than  on  the  sup- 
position that  the  instruction  must  have  been  of  an  ex- 
traordinary character?  He  is  constrained  to  linger 
reverently  over  the  honored  names.  He  cannot  pass 
them  by  with  merely  naming  them.  Would  that  he 
might  be  able  to  awaken  in  the  reader's  heart  but  a 
tithe  of  the  veneration  he  feels,  even  in  these  far  dis- 
tant years.  In  attempting  to  portray  a  few  of  these 
blessed  men  he  will  have  little  more  to  do  than  compile 
the  testimonies  concerning  them  of  those  who  lived  in 
their  day  or  who  have  deeply  studied  their  honored 
lives. 

REV.    GILBERT   TENNENT,    D.  D. 

We  begin  a  brief  account  of  these  godly  men,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  with  Gilbert  Tennent,  eldest  son  of  the 
founder  of  the  college,  and,  as  we  truly  believe,  the 
greatest  preacher  of  this  land  in  any  age.  He  was  like 
the  apostle  John,  both  in  the  sweetness  of  his  private 
life  and  in  his  fervid  eloquence. 

He  was  born  in  county  Armagh,  Ireland,  in  the  year 
1703,  and  was  therefore  a  lad  of  fourteen  when  brought 
by  his  father  to  this  country  in  1717.  His  whole  prep- 
aration for  the  ministry  must  have  been  under  the 
instruction  of  his  father.  He  was  licensed  to  preach 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  in  the  very  year 
when  the  Log  College  was  established — that  is,  in  1726 
— and  was  unquestionably  the  second  Presbyterian  min- 
ister licensed  in  this  country.  At  the  time  of  his  li- 
censure he  was  most  likely  aiding  his  father  by  teach- 
ing in  the  college.  In  the  course  of  the  next  year  he 
became  the  first  pastor  of  the  church  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, N.  J.,  and  continued  in  it  for  seventeen  years. 


EUURAVED  BY  JCHy  SASTAII. 


K\fo  (SOLIE^EKT   TTEMFJEWIT. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  81 

At  the  end  of  that  time,  or  in  1743,  he  became  the  first 
pastor  of  the  Second  church  of  Philadelpliia,  and  re- 
mained there  for  twenty-one  years,  when  he  died,  July 
23,  1764. 

Such  is  an  outline  of  the  life  of  this  probably  the 
greatest  preacher  who  ever  adorned  the  American  pul- 
pit. No  name  stood  so  high  as  his  in  the  exciting  ec- 
clesiastical events  of  that  day,  when  our  Church  was 
crystallizing  into  its  permanent  form.  Our  high  esteem 
of  his  i^reaching  is  justified  by  the  testimony  of  Dr. 
Alexander,  who  quotes  from  Whitefield  :  "  Here  "  (at 
New  Brunswick)  "  we  were  much  refreshed  with  the 
company  of  Mr.  Gilbert  Tennent,  an  eminent  dissenting 
minister,  about  forty  years  of  age,  son  to  that  good  old 
man  who  came  to  see  me  at  Philadelphia.  God,  I  find, 
has  been  pleased  greatly  to  bless  his  labors.  He  and 
his  associates  are  now  the  buruins;  and  shinino;  lio-hts 
of  this  part  of  America.  He  recounted  to  me  many 
remarkable  effusions  of  the  Spirit  which  have  been 
sent  down  among  them.  And  any  one  may  judge  of 
their  being  true  and  faithful  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ 
because  they  are  everywhere  spoken  evil  of  by  natural 
men.  The  devil  and  carnal  men  rage  horribly  against 
them.  Several  pious  souls  came  to  see  me  at  his  house, 
with  whom  I  took  sweet  counsel.  .  .  .  We  set  out 
early  from  Brunswick  with  my  dear  fellow-travelers  and 
my  worthy  brother  and  fellow-laborer,  Mr.  Tennent. 
As  we  passed  along  we  spent  our  time  most  agreeably 
in  telling  what  God  had  done  for  our  souls." 

Upon  their  arrival  at  New  York,  Mr.  Whitefield 
goes  on  to  say,  "  I  went  to  the  meeting-house  to  hear 
Mr.  Gilbert  Tennent  preach,  and  never  before  heard  I 
such  a  searching  sermon.  He  went  to  the  bottom  in- 
deed, and  did  not  daub  with  untempered  mortar.     He 


82  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

convinced  me  more  and  more  that  we  can  preach  the 
gospel  of  Christ  no  farther  than  we  have  experienced 
the  power  of  it  in  our  own  hearts.  Being  deeply  con- 
victed of  sin,  and  being  from  time  to  time  driven  from 
his  false  bottom  and  dependencies  by  God's  Holy  Spirit 
at  his  first  conversion,  he  had  learned  experimentally 
to  dissect  the  heart  of  the  natural  man.  Hypocrites 
must  either  soon  be  converted  or  enraged  at  his  preach- 
ing. He  is  a  son  of  thunder,  and  does  not  regard  the 
face  of  man.  He  is  deeply  sensible  of  the  deadness 
and  formality  of  the  Christian  Church  in  these  parts, 
and  has  given  noble  testimonies  against  it." 

Concerning  this.  Dr.  Alexander  remarks  :  "  A  higher 
testimony  and  from  higher  authority  could  not  be  given 
upon  earth.  It  is  doubtful  whether  Mr.  Whitefield  has 
ever  expressed  so  high  an  opinion  of  any  other  preacher 
of  any  denomination.  Indeed,  it  is  probable  that  he 
never  met  with  a  man  of  a  more  perfectly  congenial 
spirit  with  his  own.  As  Mr.  Whitefield  was  doubtless 
honored  to  be  the  instrument  of  the  conversion  of  more 
souls  than  any  other  preacher  of  his  age,  or  of  any  age 
perhaps  since  that  of  the  apostle  Paul,  so  Mr.  Tennent 
among  orthodox  preachers  undoubtedly  deserves  to  be 
placed  next  to  him,  both  in  the  abundance  of  his  la- 
bors and  the  wonderful  success  which  attended  his 
ministry." 

It  is  impossible  to  over-estimate  the  weight  of  this 
testimony  as  coming  from  two  such  men  as  Mr.  White- 
field  and  Dr.  Alexander.  In  fact,  it  is  manifest  that  as 
a  preacher  Gilbert  Tennent  was  second  only  to  Mr. 
Whitefield  himself.  This  strong  assertion  we  make  not 
simply  upon  our  own  conviction,  but  also  as  the  opinion 
of  men  more  competent  to  judge.  Dr.  Gillett  afiirms : 
"  Like  his  father,  he  was  an  ardent  admirer  of  White- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  83 

field,  and,  like  that  great  evangelist,  he  made  a  preach- 
ing-tour through  West  Jersey,  Pennsylvania  and  Mary- 
land, and  in  1740,  at  Whitefield's  solicitation,  through 
New  England  as  far  as  Boston.  By  his  fiery  zeal,  deep 
moral  earnestness,  spirituality,  no  less  than  by  his  logic 
and  argumentative  ability " — in  which  he  surpassed 
Whitefield  himself — "he  produced  everywhere  a  pro- 
found impression.  His  popularity  was  second  only  to 
Whitefield's."  In  private  life  he  was  as  sweet  and 
gentle  as  in  public  he  was  brilliant  and  instructive  and 
impetuous.  From  the  pen  of  one  who  lived  at  the  same 
time  with  him,  and  knew  him  well,  we  have  this  record 
of  his  private  life :  "  What  he  preached  in  the  pulpit 
his  life  preached  out  of  it.  His  disposition,  naturally 
calm,  was  still  more  sweetened  by  that  holy  temper 
which  the  gospel  of  Clirist  inspires.  A  genuine  seren- 
ity and  cheerfulness  dwelt  upon  his  countenance,  which 
he  never  failed  to  diffuse  on  all  around  him.  He  was 
charitable  to  the  poor,  kind  to  all  men,  a  lover  of  all 
that  loved  the  Lord  Jesus,  whatever  mode  of  worship 
they  professed,  and  much  beloved  in  all  the  tender  en- 
dearments of  domestic  life  as  a  husband,  a  father,  a 
master  and  a  friend." 

REV.    WILLIAM    TEXNEXT,    JR. 

The  second  of  these  four  remarkable  brothers  was 
William.  He  also  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  county  Ar- 
magh, and  in  the  year  1705,  and  was  therefore  about 
twelve  years  of  age  when  brought  over  with  the  rest  of 
the  family  to  this  country.  All  tlie  studies  of  his  lite- 
rary course  he  pursued  under  his  father,  first  at  Bensa- 
lem,  and  then  at  the  Log  College.  He  studied  theology 
under  his  brother  Gilbert,  who  was  then  pastor  of  the 
church  of  New  Brunswick.     When   he   was   twenty- 


84  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

eight  years  old  the  church  of  Freehold,  New  Jersey, 
became  vacant  by  the  death  of  his  younger  brother, 
John,  who  had  been  its  pastor  for  only  seventeen 
months.  To  that  vacant  pulpit  he  was  called ;  he  ac- 
cepted the  call,  and  was  there  ordained  and  installed 
October  25,  1733.  He  continued  to  be  pastor  of  that 
church  for  forty-four  years,  when  on  March  5,  1777, 
he  died  among  his  people,  and  was  buried  in  the  old 
graveyard  of  the  church. 

Several  very  singular  incidents  are  recorded  on  un- 
doubted authority  as  having  occurred  to  this  man  of 
God  during  his  very  remarkable  life.  Some  of  them 
were  so  strange  that  we  feel  constrained  to  give  them 
a  brief  notice.  Two  of  them  at  least  must  not  be 
omitted  :  "  While  preparing  for  his  examination  for 
licensure  he  fell  sick,  and  had  a  trance  which  lasted 
three  days,  during  which  time  he  was,  as  he  believed 
and  declared,  in  heaven,  and  heard  *  unutterable 
things.'  His  friends  thought  he  was  dead,  and  were  on 
the  point  of  burying  him,  notwithstanding  the  protesta- 
tions of  his  physician,  when  he  revived.  He  regained 
his  health  in  a  year,  but  had  lost  all  his  knowledge  of 
reading  and  writing — much  more,  all  his  previous  learn- 
ing. After  a  time,  however,  he  experienced  '  a  severe 
shock  in  the  head,'  and  his  knowledge  from  that  mo- 
ment began  rapidly  to  return,  until  all  was  regained. 
'  For  three  years,'  he  said,  '  the  sense  of  divine  things 
continued  so  great,  and  everything  else  appeared  so 
completely  vain  when  compared  to  heaven,  that  could  I 
have  had  the  world  for  stooping  down  for  it  I  be- 
lieve I  should  not  have  thought  of  doing  it.'  No 
autobiographic  record  of  his  experiences  during  his 
trance  is  believed  to  be  extant,  although  his  intention 
to  prepare  one  is  known." 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  85 

The  other  incident  is  this :  "  One  night,  wliilo  Mr. 
Tennent  was  asleep  in  his  own  hed,  he  was  waked  hy  a 
sharp  pain  in  the  region  of  the  toes  of  one  of  his  feet, 
and  upon  getting  a  light  and  examining  the  foot  it  was 
discovered  that  several  of  his  toes  had  been  cut  entirely 
off,  as  if  by  some  sharp  instrument.  But,  though  the 
wounded  part  was  bleeding,  nothing  could  be  found  of 
the  excised  members,  nor  any  means  by  which  such 
a  dismemberment  could  have  been  effected." 

Mr.  Tennent  was  a  remarkable  character,  full  of  re- 
sources, indefatigable  in  Christian  labors,  wise  to  win 
souls  and  to  guide  them  to  heaven.  By  his  earnest- 
ness, eloquence,  simplicity  and,  above  all,  ardent  piety, 
he  made  such  impressions  upon  his  neighborhood  that 
he  is  vividly  remembered  until  this  day. 

REV.    JOHN    TENNENT. 

The  least  eventful  life  of  the  four  eminent  brothers 
was  that  of  John,  the  third  of  them.  He  too  was  born 
in  Ireland,  in  Armagh  county,  in  the  year  1707,  and 
was  therefore  a  child  of  about  ten  years  when  brought 
to  this  country.  He  was  educated  at  the  Log  College, 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia 
September  18,  1729,  and  ordained  and  installed  pastor 
of  the  church  of  Freehold,  New  Jersey,  November  19, 
1730,  when  he  was  but  twenty-two  years  old.  In  that 
charge  he  was  spared  only  seventeen  months,  for  he 
died  April  23,  1732,  being  then  only  twenty-four  years 
of  age.  He  left  a  sweet  and  most  blessed  meniorv. 
He  was  a  young  man  of  great  modesty,  deep  experience 
and  most  tender  and  devoted  piety.  It  was  said  of  him 
that  "  his  labors  were  attended  by  these  three  notice- 
able qualities — prudence,  diligence  and  success." 

Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  thing  about  this  one  of 


86  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

the  four  brothers  was  his  wonderfully  blessed  death.  A 
few  moments  before  he  expired,  holding  his  brother 
William  by  the  hand,  he  broke  out  into  the  following 
rapturous  expressions  :  "  Farewell,  my  brethren ;  fare- 
well, father  and  mother ;  farewell,  world,  with  all  thy 
vain  delights.  Welcome,  God  and  Father  ;  welcome, 
sweet  Lord  Jesus ;  welcome,  death ;  welcome,  eternity. 
Amen  !"  Then  with  a  low  voice  he  said, "  Lord  Jesus, 
come.  Lord  Jesus."  And  so  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus, 
and   thus  early  went  from  his  conflict   to  his  crown. 

REV.    CHAELES   TENNENT. 

Charles  was  the  youngest  of  the  four  brothers.  The 
brief  record  of  his  life,  as  given  in  the  Log  College  by 
Dr.  Alexander,  is  this  :  "  From  an  original  document, 
a  small  memorandum-book,  kept  by  the  Rev.  William 
Tennent,  Sr.,  we  learn  that  his  fourth  son,  Charles,  was 
born  at  Colerain,  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  on  the  3d 
day  of  May,  in  the  year  1711,  and  was  baptized  by  the 
Rev.  Richard  Donnell.  At  the  time  of  his  father's  em- 
igration from  Ireland  he  was  therefore  a  boy  of  seven 
years  of  age.  He,  as  well  as  his  older  brothers,  re- 
ceived his  education  under  the  paternal  roof,  or  rath- 
er in  the  Log  College.  He  appears,  however,  to  have 
been  less  distinguished  than  either  of  his  brothers,  but 
seems  to  have  been  a  respectable  minister  of  the  gospel, 
and  was  early  settled  in  the  Presbyterian  congregation 
of  Whiteclay  Creek  in  the  State  of  Delaware.  Soon 
after  his  settlement  in  this  place  the  great  revival  under 
the  preaching  of  Whitefield  commenced,  and  was  very 
powerful  in  this  congregation.  During  this  remark- 
able season  of  divine  influence  Mr.  Whitefield  spent 
some  days  with  Mr.  Charles  Tennent,  and  assisted  him 
in  the  administering  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  preaching  to 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  87 

large  nniltitiules  of  people  every  day  of  the  solemnity, 
which  continued  four  days,  according  to  custom." 

Mr.  Tennent  commenced  his  ministry  in  Whiteclay 
Creek  in  1738,  when  he  was  twenty-sevea  years  old, 
and  remained  there  for  twenty-four  years.  In  17()2  he 
removed  to  Buckingham,  in  Maryland,  taking  charge 
of  the  church  there;  he  continued  its  pastor  for  nine 
years,  when  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  Less 
distinguished  than  his  brothers,  yet  he  is  said  to  have 
been  a  good  man  and  most  excellent  pastor. 

REV.    SAMUEL    BLAIK. 

After  the  Tennents  the  most  distinguished  family 
originally  connected  with  the  Log  College  was  that  of 
the  Blairs,  consisting  of  the  two  brothers,  Samuel  and 
John,  and  of  sisters  also,  concerning  whom  we  do  not 
hear  so  much,  but  who  must  have  exerted  great  influ- 
ence in  the  early  days  of  our  Church.  Of  the  brothers, 
Samuel  was  the  elder.  Like  the  four  Tennent  boys,  all 
the  children  of  this  family  also  were  born  in  Ireland. 
They  must  have  had  very  godly  and  faithful  parents, 
inasmuch  as  they  all  proved  such  devoted  Christians. 

Samuel,  the  eldest,  was  born  in  1712.  He  seems  to 
have  been  a  child  of  God  from  his  infancy.  At  an 
early  age  he  came  to  this  country — probably  with 
the  whole  family — and  at  eighteen  entered  the  Log 
College  four  years  after  it  was  opened.  He  remained 
in  the  college  five  years,  taking  there,  as  was  custom- 
ary, both  his  literary  and  theological  courses.  He  was 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  November 
9,  1733,  and  in  1735,  when  he  was  twenty-three,  was 
installed  as  jiastor  of  the  church  of  Shrewsbury,  New 
Jersey.  In  1739  he  was  called  from  Shrewsbury  to 
the   church  of  Fagg's  Manor  in  Pennsylvania.      He 


88  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO   COLLEGE. 

became  the  first  pastor  of  that  church,  though  it  had 
been  organized  a  few  years  before,  and  continued  there 
until  1751,  when  he  died,  at  tlie  age  of  thirty-nine. 

In  Fagg's  Manor  wJls  the  great  life-work  of  Mr.  Blair. 
Almost  immediately  after  his  settlement  there  began 
one  of  the  most  wonderful  revivals  of  that  age  of  ex- 
traordinary religious  interest.  In  a  letter  which  Mr. 
Blair  wrote  to  a  friend  in  Boston  he  thus  described 
that  remarkable  awakening :  "  Our  Sabbath  assem- 
blies soon  became  very  large,  many  people  from  all 
parts  around  inclining  very  much  to  come  where  there 
were  such  appearances  of  the  divine  presence  and  power. 
I  think  there  was  scarcely  a  sermon  or  lecture  preached 
here  through  that  whole  summer  but  there  were  mani- 
fest evidences  of  impressions  on  the  hearers  and  many 
times  the  impressions  were  very  great  and  general : 
several  would  be  overcome  and  fainting ;  others  deeply 
sobbing,  hardly  able  to  contain  themselves;  others  cry- 
ing in  a  most  dolorous  manner ;  many  others  were 
silently  weeping ;  and  a  solemn  concern  appeared  in 
the  countenances  of  many  others.  And  sometimes  the 
soul-exercises  of  some  (though  comparatively  but  very 
few)  would  so  far  affect  their  bodies  as  to  occasion  some 
strange,  unusual  bodily  motions." 

Mr.  Blair  was  not  long  in  Fagg's  Manor  before  he 
was  led  to  take  cliarge  of  a  classical  and  theological 
seminary  similar  to  that  of  the  Log  College.  In  it 
were  taught  not  only  the  classics  and  other  scientific 
branches,  but  theology  also.  It  grew  rapidly  under 
him,  and  became  a  source  of  indescribable  blessings 
at  that  time,  and  also  sent  forward  influences  that 
extended  very  widely,  and  have  not  ceased  even  yet. 
That  the  school  at  Fagg's  Manor — or  New  Londonderry, 
as  it  was  then  called — was  greatly  famed  at  that  time 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  89 

we  see  on  the  pages  of  our  early  history.  "  Some  of  tlie 
ablest  men  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  received  either 
the  whole  or  the  more  substantial  parts  of  their  edu- 
cation there.  Among  them  were  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Davies,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Gumming,  the  Rev.  John 
Rodgers,  D.  D.,  the  Rev.  James  Finley  and  the  Rev. 
Hugh  Henry."  The  institution  which  had  the  honor 
of  educating  such  a  man  as  the  eloquent  Dr.  Davies, 
President  of  Princeton  College,  was  well  worthy  of 
being  famed. 

Still  another  very  important  institution  that  sprung 
from  the  labors  of  Dr.  Samuel  Blair  was  the  Pequa 
Academy,  for  the  facts  concerning  which  the  author 
is  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  the  Rev.  Calvin  W. 
Stewart,  D.  D.,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Westminster. 

One  of  the  most  eminent  of  the  graduates  of  the 
Fagg's  Manor  Seminary  was  the  Rev.  Robert  Smith, 
D.  D.,  born  in  Ireland,  who  married  the  sister  of  Dr. 
Blair.  He  was  led  to  establish  another  school  similar  to 
that  of  Fagg's  Manor — and  both  on  the  model  of  the  Log 
College — at  Pequa,  which  became  a  source  of  great  influ- 
ence and  usefulness  in  that  day.  Among  those  trained 
at  this  latter  institution  were  the  celebrated  Rev.  John 
Caldwell,  who  settled  in  North  Carolina,  became  so 
prominent  in  the  Mecklenburgh  convention  and  took 
such  an  active  part  in  the  Revolutionary  War ;  and  the 
Rev.  John  McMillan,  D.  D.,  the  great  Western  mis- 
sionary and  founder  of  a  school  which  was  the  nucleus 
of  Jefferson  College ;  also  the  Rev.  Samuel  Martin,  D.  D., 
who  prepared  so  many  young  men  for  the  ministry  in 
York  county,  Pennsylvania.  All  these  and  many  oth- 
ers were  graduates  of  Pequa  Academy,  which  was  the 
child  of  Fagg's  Manor  Seminary,  which  was  the  child 
of  the  Log  College. 


90  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

A  more  interesting  record  of  a  Christian  household 
than  that  which  we  find  in  the  family  of  the  Blairs  we 
cannot  imagine.  Not  only  were  there  the  two  cele- 
brated brothers,  Samuel  and  John,  but  there  was  also  a 
sister  whose  record  was  just  as  remarkable.  As  we  have 
just  said,  she  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Smith, 
founder  of  the  Pequa  Academy.  She  was  the  mother  of 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  D,  D.,  LL.D.,  who 
was  first  president  of  Hampden-Sidney  College,  Vir- 
ginia, and  afterward  president  of  Princeton  College, 
She  was  also  the  mother  of  the  Rev.  John  Blair  Smith, 
D.  D.,  who  succeeded  his  brother  Stanhope  as  president 
of  Hampden-Sidney  College,  and  afterward  became 
president  of  Union  College,  Schenectady,  New  York. 
Where  shall  we  find  a  similar  record  ?  Still  further, 
not  only  had  Dr.  Samuel  Blair  such  an  illustrious 
record  through  his  sister,  but  one  almost  equally  illus- 
trious through  his  daughters.  Four  of  them  married, 
respectively,  the  Rev.  George  Dufiield,  D.  D.,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, the  Rev.  David  Rice,  D.  D.,  of  Kentucky, 
the  Rev.  John  Carmichael  of  the  Forks  of  Brandy- 
wine,  and  the  Rev.  William  Foster  of  Octorara — all 
very  eminent  divines  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

A  tribute  was  paid  to  Dr.  Blair  by  his  pupil.  Dr. 
Davies,  which  is  so  full  of  the  men  of  the  Log  College 
and  of  this  school  which  was  the  offspring  of  the  col- 
lege, that  we  ought  not  to  withhold  it: 

"  Surviving  remnant  of  the  sacred  tribe, 
Who  knew  the  worth  these  plaintive  lays  describe: 
Tennents,  those  worthies  of  immortal  fame, 
Brethren  by  office,  birth,  in  heart  and  name; 
Finley,  who  full  enjoyed  the  unbosomed  friend; 
Rodgers,  whose  soul  he  like  his  own  refined. 
When,  all  attention,  eager  to  admit 
The  flowing  knowledge,  at  his  reverend  feet 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  91 

Eaptured  we  sat;  and  thou  above  the  rest, 

Brother  and  image  of  the  dear  deceased, 

Surviving  Blair/  oh,  let  spontaneous  flow 

The  floods  of  tributary  grief  we  owe. 

And  in  your  number — if  so  mean  a  name 

May  the  sad  honor  of  chief  mourner  claim — 

Oh !  may  my  filial  tears  more  copious  flow 

And  swell  the  tide  of  universal  woe  1 

Oh,  Blair!  whom  all  the  teuderest  names  commend — 

My  father,  tutor,  pastor,  brother,  friend ! — 

While  distance  and  sad  privilege  denies 

O'er  thy  dear  tomb  to  vent  my  bursting  eyes. 

The  Muse  erects — the  sole  return  allowed — 

This  humble  monument  of  gratitude." 

As  a  preacher  Dr.  Samuel  Blair  was  exceedingly 
eloquent.  There  was  a  solemnity  in  his  very  appear- 
ance which  struck  his  hearers  with  awe  before  he 
opened  his  mouth.  And  his  manner  of  preaching, 
while  it  was  truly  evangelical  and  instructive,  was 
exceedingly  impressive.  He  spoke  as  in  the  view  of 
eternity,  as  in  the  immediate  presence  of  God.  The 
opinion  which  Dr.  Davies,  who  knew  him  better  than 
any  other  man,  entertained  of  Dr.  Blair  as  a  preacher 
may  be  learned  from  an  anecdote  received  from  Dr. 
Rodgers  bv  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller  of  Prince- 
ton  Theological  Seminary :  "  When  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Davies  returned  from  Europe  his  friends  were  curious 
to  learn  his  opinion  of  the  celebrated  preachers  whom 
he  had  heard  in  England  and  Scotland.  After  dealing 
out  liberal  commendations  on  such  as  he  had  most  ad- 
mired, he  concluded  by  saying  that  he  had  heard  no 
one  who,  in  his  judgment,  was  superior  to  his  former 
teacher,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Bhiir." 

His  death  occurred  at  Fagg's  Manor  July  5,  17ol, 
while  he  was  yet  a  young  man,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-nine  years.  As  might  have  been  anticipated,  it 
was  without  a  doubt  or  a  cloud,  and  in  tliat  perfect 


92  PRESBYTERY  OF  TEE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding.  His 
remains  lie  in  the  burying-ground  of  Fagg's  Manor, 
where  his  tomb  may  yet  be  seen.  On  his  tombstone 
are  engraved  the  appropriate  lines : 

"  In  yonder  sacred  house  I  spent  my  breath : 
Now  silent,  mouldering,  here  I  lie  in  death: 
These  lips  shall  wake  again,  and  yet  declare 
A  dread  amen  to  truths  they  published  there." 

KEV.    JOHN   BLAIR. 

John,  the  younger  of  the  Blair  brothers,  was  also 
born  in  Ireland,  in  the  year  1720,  and  came  to  this 
country  while  quite  young.  He  soon  after  entered  the 
Log  College,  where  he  obtained  all  his  preparatory 
training  for  the  ministry,  both  classical  and  theological. 
We  have  no  record  of  the  date  at  which  he  was  licensed 
to  preach.  In  the  year  1742,  when  he  was  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  he  was  ordained  and  installed  as  the  pastor 
of  the  Big  S]3ring  church  and  one  or  two  other  small 
churches  in  the  Cumberland  Valley  of  Pennsylvania. 
This  was  the  church — now  called  Newville — of  which 
Rev.  Dr.  Ebenezer  Erskine  has  long  been  the  pastor. 
Mr.  Blair  continued  in  this  his  first  charge  for  about 
thirteen  years,  but  the  neighborhood  being  then  in  con- 
stant danger  from  savage  Indians,  many  of  his  j)eople  re- 
moved to  where  they  could  find  safer  residences,  and  it 
became  necessary  for  him  to  seek  another  field  of  labor. 

His  brother  Samuel  having  recently  died  amid  the 
scenes  of  his  great  usefulness  at  Fagg's  Manor,  John  was 
at  once  invited  to  become  his  successor  in  both  church 
and  school.  He  accepted,  and  in  1757,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-seven,  entered  upon  the  great  work  which  his 
brother  had  left.  With  a  scholarship  and  knowledge 
of  theology  greater  than  almost  any  other  man  of  his 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  93 

age,  and  with  a  burning  zeal  for  the  cause,  his  work 
both  in  church  and  school  was  greatly  blessed.  The 
church  became  yet  stronger,  and  the  school  grew  more 
thorough  and  more  attractive. 

After  nine  years  of  nuieh  prosperity  in  Fagg's  i\Ianor, 
another  field  of  greater  influence  and  usefulness  opened 
— a  field  for  which  he  was  peculiarly  fitted  by  his  splen- 
did scholarly  attainments  and  theological  skill.  A  pro- 
fessorship had  just  been  endowed  in  Princeton  College 
for  the  special  teaching  of  theology.  Mr.  Blair  was 
the  man  for  such  a  position ;  he  was  elected,  and,  ac- 
cepting, entered  upon  his  duties  there  in  176G,  when 
he  was  forty-six  years  old.  The  presidency  of  the  col- 
lege having  become  vacant,  he,  having  been  previously 
elected  as  its  vice-president,  performed  the  duties  of 
president  until  the  inauguration  of  Dr.  John  Wither- 
spoon,  who  had  been  called  from  Scotland.  Soon  after 
that.  Dr.  Witherspoon  being  himself  an  excellent  the- 
ologian and  the  finances  of  the  college  being  in  a  strait- 
ened condition,  Mr.  Blair  retired  after  a  service  of  be- 
tween two  and  three  years. 

Leaving  Princeton  in  1768,  he  removed  to  Walkill, 
Orange  county.  New  York,  having  received  a  call  from 
a  church  in  that  place.  He  remained  there,  however, 
only  a  few  months,  for  his  earthly  work  was  almost  over. 
Soon  after  his  settlement,  while  on  a  trip  to  Boston  by 
sea,  he  was  shipwrecked,  and,  being  very  much  exposed, 
his  health  received  so  severe  a  shock  that  he  never  after- 
ward entirely  recovered.  And  worse  than  the  shock 
to  his  body  was  that  to  his  mind,  which  w^as  greatly 
affected  by  the  loss  of  all  his  carefully  elaborated  manu- 
scripts. 

In  consequence  of  this  disaster  he  immediately  re- 
turned from  Boston  to  Pennsylvania,  and  took  up  his 


94  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

residence  at  the  house  of  his  father-in-law,  Dr.  Shippen, 
in  Germantown.  Dr.  Alexander  relates  that  he  often 
■visited  him  during  the  sad  months  that  followed, 
and  thus  describes  him :  "  The  writer,  having  spent 
several  summers  in  Germantown  before  Dr.  Blair's  de- 
cease, had  the  opportunity  of  becoming  well  acquainted 
with  him,  and  found  him  to  be  a  man  of  great  refine- 
ment of  mind,  mild  and  amiable  in  disposition,  and 
friendly  to  evangelical  doctrine  and  practical  piety." 

Mr.  Blair  must  have  been  a  highly  cultivated  and 
most  lovely  man.  "  He  was  a  sound  and  learned  theo- 
logian, and,  though  less  eloquent  in  the  pulpit  than 
his  brother  Samuel,  yet  he  was  an  able  and  convincing 
preacher  and  the  instrument  of  the  conversion  of  many 
souls.  He  made  high  attainments  in  scholarship,  and 
at  the  same  time  labored  much  in  the  pulpit,  for  the 
most  part  using,  not  a  fully-written  manuscript,  but 
brief  notes."  "As  a  theologian  he  was  not  inferior  to 
any  man  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  his  day."  "  His 
disposition  was  uncommonly  patient,  placid,  benevolent, 
disinterested  and  cheerful.  He  was  too  mild  to  indulge 
bitterness  or  severity,  and  he  thought  that  the  truth  re- 
quired little  else  but  to  be  fairly  stated  and  properly 
understood.  Those  who  could  not  relish  the  savor  of 
his  piety  loved  him  as  amiable  and  revered  him  as  a 
great  man.  Though  no  bigot,  he  firmly  believed  that 
the  Presbyterian  form  of  government  is  the  most  script- 
ural and  the  most  favorable  to  religion  and  happiness." 

His  death  occurred  in  1771,  when  he  was  fifty-two 
years  of  age.  His  end  was  peaceful,  and  he  calmly 
contemplated  death  when  near  at  hand,  uttering  coun- 
sels for  his  friends.  A  few  days  before  his  departure  he 
exclaimed,  "  Directly  I  am  going  to  glory :  my  Master 
calls  me ;  I  must  go."     On  his  tombstone  may  be  seen 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  95 

the  following  inscription  :  "  Here  lie  interred  the  re- 
mains of  the  Rev.  John  Blair,  A.M.,  who  departed  this 
life  December  6,  1771,  in  the  52d  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  a  gentleman  of  masterly  genius,  a  good  scholar,  an 
excellent  divine.  A  very  judicious,  instructive,  and 
solemn  preacher.  A  laborious  and  successful  minister 
of  Christ.  An  eminent  Christian.  A  man  of  great 
prudence,  and  a  bright  example  of  every  social  virtue. 
He  was  sometime  vice-president  of  Nassau  Hall  and 
professor  of  divinity  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey, 
which  place  he  filled  with  fidelity  and  reputation.  He 
lived  greatly  beloved  and  died  universally  lamented." 

REV,    SAMUEL   FINLEY,    D.  D. 

As  in  David's  band  of  loyal  friends  and  followers  in 
the  time  of  his  exile,  though  all  were  brave  and  worthy, 
there  were  three  who  stood  first  of  all,  the  greatest  of 
the  great,  and  as  of  the  twelve  apostles  there  were  three, 
Peter,  James  and  John,  who  were  the  chief,  so  of  the 
ten  eminent  men,  all  sprung  from  the  Log  College,  who 
laid  the  foundations  of  our  Presbyterian  Church  in  this 
country,  there  were  three  who  were  pre-eminently  great 
— Gilbert  Teuneut,  Samuel  Blair  and  Samuel  Finley. 

Dr.  Finley  was  born  in  the  North  of  Ireland.  The 
date  of  his  birth  was  1715,  and  the  place,  county 
Armagh,  in  Ulster.  His  family  was  one  of  Scottish 
descent,  and  must  have  been  eminently  devoted.  He 
had  no  fewer  than  seven  brothers,  all  of  whom  became 
men  of  very  earnest  piety.  He  was  no  doubt  a  child 
of  God  even  in  his  infancy,  as,  among  other  evidences, 
he  could  remember  a  sermon,  text  and  all,  that  made  a 
most  lasting  impression  on  his  mind,  which  he  heard 
when  he  was  but  six  years  old.  At  even  that  early 
age  his  purpose  was  formed  to  study  for  the  ministry. 


96  PRESBYTERY  OF  TEE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

In  accordance  with  this  purpose,  all  his  youth  was 
spent  in  the  pursuit  of  classical  and  other  appropriate 
studies  with  a  view  to  the  sacred  office. 

He  came  to  this  country  in  his  nineteenth  year,  en- 
tered the  Log  College,  and  spent  six  years  there  in 
the  completion  of  his  theological  studies.  He  was 
licensed  in  the  year  1740,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five. 
After  that  he  spent  four  years  chiefly  in  preaching- 
tours  through  various  parts  of  the  country,  among 
other  places  in  West  Jersey,  spending  some  time  in 
Greenwich,  Deerfield  and  Cape  May.  Meantime,  he 
was  ordained,  probably  as  an  evangelist,  in  1742,  after 
which  he  spent  six  months  preaching  with  great 
acceptance  in  the  Second  church  of  Philadelphia. 
Among  other  regions  which  at  this  period  he  visited 
on  his  preaching-excursions  was  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut. While  there  the  laws  were  of  such  a  rigid 
character  that  he  was  arrested  as  a  vagrant  and  igno- 
miniously  banished  from  the  territory. 

As  yet  he  had  taken  no  permanent  charge,  but  now, 
in  1744,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  he  entered  upon 
what  proved  to  be  the  great  work  of  his  life — a  work 
which  but  few  men  are  ever  so  highly  favored  as  to 
have  granted  them.  He  assumed  the  pastoral  charge 
of  the  church  of  Nottingham,  Maryland — a  church  to 
which  the  Rev.  A.  A.  Hodge,  D.  D.,  afterward  minis- 
tered for  a  while,  and  of  which  the  Rev.  Samuel  A. 
Gayley,  D.  D.,  has  been,  for  many  years,  the  very  effi- 
cient pastor.  In  that  pastoral  charge  he  continued 
seventeen  years. 

But  a  greater  work  than  even  that  of  an  ordinary 
pastoral  charge  was  awaiting  him  when  he  was  called 
to  that  place.  It  was  that  of  establishing  the  famous 
Nottingham  Academy.      As  Dr.  Alexander   gives   a 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  97 

description  of  this  work  full  and  comprehensive,  we 
will  quote  his  language :  "  In  this  place  he  insti- 
tuted an  academy,  with  the  view,  chiefly,  of  prepar- 
ing young  men  for  the  gospel  ministry.  This  school 
was  conducted  with  admirable  wisdom  and  success, 
and  acquired  a  higher  reputation  than  any  other 
in  the  Middle  States,  so  that  students  from  a  distance 
were  attracted  to  it.  Some  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  in  our  country  laid  the  foundation  of  their  emi- 
nence and  usefulness  in  this  academy.  At  one  time 
there  was  a  cluster  of  such  young  men  who  all  were 
afterward  distinguished,  and  some  of  them  among  the 
very  first  men  in  the  country,  as  the  following  names 
will  show :  Governor  Martin  of  North  Carolina ;  Dr. 
Benjamin  Rush  of  Philadelphia,  and  his  brother,  Jacob 
Rush,  an  eminent  and  pious  judge;  Ebenezer  Hazard, 
Esq.,  of  Philadelphia ;  the  Rev.  James  Waddel,  D.  D., 
of  Virginia;  Governor  Henry  of  Maryland;  and  the 
Rev.  William  M.  Tennent  of  Abington,  Pennsylva- 
nia. It  Avould  not  be  easy  in  any  country  to  find  such 
a  constellation  in  one  school  at  the  same  time." 

After  serving  that  church  and  at  the  same  time 
building  up  that  institution  so  successfully  for  seven- 
teen years,  his  fame  had  become  so  great  that  in  17G1 
lie  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  Princeton  College. 
Removing  to  that  place,  he  assumed  the  responsible 
duties  to  which  he  had  been  called,  and  performed 
them  with  the  utmost  acceptance  for  five  years.  Under 
his  wise  and  able  administration  the  college  prospered 
greatly.  From  his  experience  in  the  Nottingham  Acad- 
emy he  was  enabled  to  introduce  several  great  improve- 
ments in  the  modes  of  teaching,  especially  in  the  classics. 
At  that  time  his  fame  as  scholar  and  teacher,  as  well 
as  preacher,  had  extended  so  far  that  it  even  reached 

7 


98  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Europe,  and  from  a  college  in  Scotland  he  received  the 
honorary  degree  of  D.  D.,  the  first  that  was  ever  be- 
stowed on  any  Presbyterian  minister  of  this  country. 

Dr.  Finley  must  have  been  emphatically  both  a  good 
and  a  great  man.  It  was  truthfully  said  of  him  and 
of  the  school  he  established  :  "  He  was  an  accomplished 
scholar  and  a  skillful  teacher,  as  was  universally  admit- 
ted. Perhaps  this  country  has  not  had  better  classical 
scholars  formed  anywhere  than  in  that  school."  An 
interesting  description  of  him  is  given  in  The  Log 
College :  "  Dr.  Finley  was  a  person  of  low  stature  and 
of  a  round  and  ruddy  countenance.  In  the  pulpit  he 
was  solemn,  sensible  and  sententious,  and  sometimes 
glowed  with  fervid  animation.  He  was  remarkable  for 
sweetness  of  temper,  politeness  and  generosity.  He  was 
always  distinguished  for  diligence  and  punctuality  in 
the  performance  of  all  his  duties.  His  sermons  were 
rather  solid  than  brilliant — not  hasty  productions,  but 
composed  with  care,  and,  while  they  were  in  a  style 
pleasing  to  the  cultivated  mind,  they  were  at  the  same 
time  intelligible  to  the  illiterate." 

Five  years  after  becoming  president  of  the  college,  in 
consequence  of  declining  health  he  visited  Philadelphia, 
that  he  might  secure  medical  advice.  But  soon  his  dis- 
ease, which  was  an  affection  of  the  liver,  assumed  an 
alarming  aspect,  of  which  he  was  warned  by  his  physi- 
cian, when  with  devout  acquiescence  in  the  divine  will 
he  replied :  "  If  my  work  is  done  I  am  ready.  I  do 
not  desire  to  live  a  day  longer  than  I  can  work  for 
God."  He  grew  rapidly  worse,  until  it  became  proper 
to  inform  him  that  he  had  but  a  few  days  to  live, 
when,  in  the  very  glory  of  triumphant  faith,  he  ex- 
claimed, "Then,  welcome,  Lord  Jesus!"  He  died  on 
the  16th  of  July,  1761,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  99 

The  death  of  Dr.  Finley  was  one  of  the  most  tri- 
umphant to  be  found  in  all  the  records  of  the  Church 
of  God.  We  cannot  give  its  glorious  scenes  in  full,  as 
they  have  been  described  to  us,  but  we  will  give  a  few 
of  his  wonderfully  blessed  utterances  in  sentences  or 
broken  exclamations.  The  Church  cannot  spare  such 
testimony  from  a  dying  man  of  God.  He  was  told 
that  his  end  was  very  near.  "  Then,"  said  he,  "  may 
the  Lord  bring  me  nearer  himself!  I  have  been  wait- 
ing with  a  Canaan  hunger  for  the  promised  land.  I 
have  often  wondered  that  God  suffered  rae  to  live.  I 
have  more  wondered  that  he  ever  called  me  to  be  a 
minister  of  his  word.  He  has  often  afforded  me  much 
strength,  which,  though  I  have  often  abused,  he  re- 
turned in  mercy.  Oh,  faithful  are  the  promises  of 
God !  Oh,  that  I  could  see  him  as  I  have  seen  him 
in  the  sanctuary !  Although  I  have  earnestly  desired 
death  as  the  hireling  pants  for  the  ev^ening  shade,  yet 
will  I  wait  all  the  days  of  my  appointed  time.  I  have 
often  struggled  with  principalities  and  powers,  and  have 
been  brought  almost  to  despair  :  Lord,  let  it  suffice." — 
"  I  know  not  in  what  language  to  speak  of  my  own  un- 
worthiness." — "A  Christian's  death  is  the  best  part  of 
his  experience.  The  Lord  has  made  provision  for  the 
whole  way — provision  for  the  soul  and  for  the  body. 
Oh,  that  I  could  recollect  Sabbath  blessings !  The 
Lord  has  given  me  many  souls  as  crowns  of  my  re- 
joicing. Blessed  be  God,  eternal  rest  is  at  hand ! 
Eternity  is  but  long  enough  to  enjoy  my  God.  This 
has  animated  me  in  my  secret  studies.  I  was  ashamed 
to  take  rest  here."  Being  asked  whether  he  would 
choose  to  live  or  die,  he  replied,  "  To  die,  though  I 
cannot  but  say  I  feel  the  same  strait  that  Paul  did, 
that   he   did    not    know    which    to   choose." — "  I    rise 


100  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

or  fall  as  eternal  life  runs  nearer  or  farther  off." 
Said  one,  "You  will  soon  be  joined  to  the  blessed 
society  of  heaven ;  you  will  for  ever  hold  intercourse 
with  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  and  with  the  spirits  of 
the  just  made  perfect," — "Yes,  sir,"  he  replied  with 
a  smile,  "  but  they  are  a  most  polite  people  now" 
Turning  to  his  wife,  he  said,  "  I  expect,  my  dear,  to 
see  you  shortly  in  glory." — "  The  doctrines  that  I  have 
preached  are  now  my  support,  and,  blessed  be  God ! 
they  are  without  a  flaw."  He  would  sometimes  cry 
out,  "  The  Lord  Jesus  will  take  care  of  his  cause  in 
this  world."  Upon  awakening  one  morning  he  ex- 
claimed, "Oh,  what  a  disappointment  I  have  met  with! 
I  expected  this  morning  to  be  in  heaven." — "  Oh,  I 
shall  triumph  over  every  foe.  The  Lord  hath  given 
me  the  victory.  I  exult,  I  triumph.  Oh,  that  I  could 
see  untainted  purity  !  Now  I  know  that  it  is  impossible 
that  faith  should  not  triumph  over  earth  and  hell." 
— "  I  think  I  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  die." — "  Lord 
Jesus,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit :  I  do  it 
with  confidence,  I  do  it  with  full  assurance."  He  was 
asked,  "  How  do  you  feel  ?"  and  answered,  "  Full  of 
triumph  ;  I  triumph  through  Christ.  Nothing  clips 
my  wings  but  the  thoughts  of  my  dissolution  being  pro- 
longed. Oh,  that  it  were  to-night !  My  very  soul  thirsts 
for  eternal  rest."  Asked,  what  he  saw  in  eternity  to 
excite  such  vehement  desires,  he  answered,  "  I  see  the 
eternal  love  and  goodness  of  God ;  I  see  the  full- 
ness of  the  Mediator.  I  see  the  love  of  Jesus.  .  .  . 
Oh  to  be  dissolved  and  to  be  with  him !  I  long  to 
be  clothed  with  the  complete  righteousness  of  Christ." 
After  one  had  prayed  with  him  he  exclaimed,  "  I  have 
gained  the  victory  over  the  devil.  Pray  God  to  pre- 
serve me  from  evil,  to  keep  me  from  dishonoring  his 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  101 

great  name  in  this  critical  hour,  and  to  support  nie  witli 
his  presence  in  my  passage  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death." 

If  there  be  many  sacrifices  and  sore  self-denials  con- 
nected with  any  Christian  life,  would  it  not  comjiensate 
for  them  all  a  thousand  times  over  to  be  permitted  to 
die  such  a  death  as  that? 

REV.    WILLIAM    ROBIXSON. 

No  mortal  mind  can  contemplate  the  great  move- 
ments which  we  are  considering  of  the  spirit  and  work 
of  the  Log  College,  the  great  influence  it  disseminated 
and  the  wonderful  revival  scenes  of  the  times  without 
comino;  to  the  conviction  that  the  almi2;htv  Head  of  the 
Church  was  thereby  effecting  some  special  and  sublime 
purpose.  Nor  is  it  very  difficult  to  interpret  what  that 
purpose  must  have  been.  A  great  Church  was  to  be 
founded  and  in  a  new  and  great  countrv — a  Church  of 
the  most  scriptura-l  faith  and  the  richest  history — a 
country  predestined  to  take  the  leading  part  in  the 
world's  culminating  events ;  and  this  was  the  laying 
of  the  foundation  of  that  Church,  and  so  moulding  its 
character  and  shaping  its  whole  future  history. 

That  formative  work  required  two  kinds  of  work- 
men— one  to  found  institutions,  define  and  establish 
principles  and  awaken  impulses.  For  this  the  Lord 
raised  up  men  with  admirable  qualifications  in  the  Ten- 
nents,  the  Blairs  and  Finley.  But  another  class  of 
men  also  was  needed — men  of  action,  men  who  would 
carry  the  truth  among  the  masses,  men  who,  with  an 
ardor  like  that  of  the  angel  of  the  everlasting  gospel, 
would  fly  hither  and  thither  planting  the  truth  in  every 
quarter,  and  then  filling  the  whole  land  with  gospel 
movements  and  gospel  people.     For  this  work  he  had 


102  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

also  the  chosen  instruments  in  the  Rev.  William  Rob- 
inson, the  Rev.  John  Rowland  and  the  Rev.  Charles  C, 
Beatty.  These  also,  by  the  providence  of  God,  had  been 
trained  in  the  Log  College,  that  one  earnest  spirit  might 
pervade  both  classes,  and  that  the  soundness  in  faith  and 
the  ardent  piety  there  nourished  might,  through  them, 
pervade  the  Church  and  the  land. 

The  first  of  these  latter  three  whose  work  we  are  now 
called  to  trace  was  the  Rev.  William  Robinson.  All 
that  is  known  of  his  early  life  is  contained  in  one 
precious  record  in  a  note  in  the  Life  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Rogers,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Miller  of  Princeton  Theologi- 
cal Seminary.  It  is  there  stated  "  that  Mr.  Robinson 
was  the  son  of  a  wealthy  Quaker  in  England.  Being 
permitted  to  pay  a  visit  of  a  few  weeks  to  an  aunt  in 
the  city  of  London,  from  whom  he  had  considerable 
expectations,  he  greatly  overstayed  the  time  which  had 
been  allowed  him,  and,  becoming  deeply  involved  in 
the  dissipations  of  the  town,  he  incurred  large  debts, 
which  he  knew  his  father  would  never  pay  and  which 
his  aunt  refused  to  discharge.  In  this  situation,  fearing 
to  return  home  and  unable  to  remain  longer  in  London, 
he  determined  to  quit  his  native  country  and  seek  his 
fortune  in  America.  In  this  determination  his  aunt 
reluctantly  acquiesced  and  furnished  him  with  a  small 
sum  of  money  for  the  purpose.  Soon  after  his  arrival 
in  America  he  had  recourse  for  subsistence  to  teaching 
a  school  in  New  Jersey  in  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery 
of  New  Brunswick.  He  had  been  for  some  time  en- 
gaged in  this  business  without  any  practical  knowledge 
of  religion,  when  it  pleased  God  to  bring  him  to  a  sense 
of  himself  and  the  way  of  salvation  in  a  remarkable 
manner.  He  was  riding  at  a  late  hour  one  evening 
when  the  moon  and  stars  shone  with  unusual  bright- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  103 

ness,  and  when  every  tiling  around  him  was  calculated 
to  excite  reflection.  While  he  was  meditating  on  the 
beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  scene  which  the  firmament 
presented,  and  was  saying  to  himself,  *  How  transcend- 
ently  glorious  must  be  the  Author  of  all  this  beauty 
and  grandeur !'  the  thought  struck  him  with  the  sud- 
denness and  force  of  lightning,  '  But  what  do  I  know 
of  this  God  ?  Have  I  ever  sought  his  favor  or  made 
him  my  friend?'  This  happy  impression,  which 
proved  by  its  permanency  and  its  eft'eet  to  have  come 
from  the  best  of  all  sources,  never  left  him  until  he 
took  refuge  in  Christ  as  the  hope  and  life  of  his 
soul." 

After  Mr.  Robinson's  conversion  he  determined  to 
devote  his  life  to  the  service  of  God  in  the  work  of  the 
holy  ministry,  and,  having  fallen  in  with  the  Presby- 
terians, he  connected  himself  with  that  Church,  and 
the  uncontradicted  tradition  is  that  he  pursued  a  course 
of  preparation  for  the  ministry  in  the  Log  College  ; 
that  after  the  usual  trials  he  was  licensed  to  preach  the 
gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  ;  and  that 
after  some  probation  he  was  ordained  by  the  same  Pres- 
bytery as  an  evangelist. 

He  determined  to  go  to  the  distressed,  the  ignorant 
and  the  lost.  To  trace  his  brilliant  career  in  detail 
w^ould  occupy  too  much  of  our  limited  space,  and  we 
shall  therefore  confine  ourselves  to  a  few  comprehensive 
facts  and  characteristics  of  his  work  which  may  serve 
to  convey  an  impression  of  the  marvelous  things  wliich 
God  wrought  through  this  extraordinary  man. 

The  amount  of  t<ict,  })erseverance,  hardships,  suffer- 
ings and  success  which  attended  the  ministry  of  Mr. 
Robinson  seems  almost  to  surpass  belief,  and  but  for  the 
abundaut  testimony  of  undoubted  authorities  would  not 


104  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

be  credited.  He  threw  his  whole  heart  and  soul  and 
life  into  the  work,  and  received  divine  help  in  every 
one  of  his  undertakings.  Like  a  bright  meteor  he  swept 
over  the  land,  blazing  in  the  light  of  God  wherever 
he  went.  Through  the  sparsely-settled  regions  of  Penn- 
sylvania, away  to  its  western  forests,  through  the  whole 
of  New  Jersey,  Delaware  and  Maryland,  down  the  great 
Valley  of  Virginia,  over  and  over  the  Blue  Ridge  region, 
through  Albemarle  and  Augusta  and  other  counties  of 
the  same  State,  through  many  of  the  larger  towns  of 
North  Carolina,  and  back  again  through  parts  of  New 
York,  he  hastened.  To  the  Indians  wherever  he  could 
find  them,  to  terrified  settlers  flying  from  the  butchery 
of  the  savages,  to  noisy  gatherings  of  the  negroes,  he 
pressed  with  the  tidings  of  salvation. 

He  traveled  day  and  night ;  he  preached  every  day 
of  the  week ;  he  instructed  individuals  as  ignorant  as 
the  heathen  ;  he  rebuked  the  backsliding ;  he  comforted 
the  neglected  and  sorrowing ;  he  listened  to  every  call 
to  go  and  address  multitudes  wherever  they  would 
gather  to  hear  him;  he  never  thought  of  toil  or  sac- 
rifice or  self-denial  when  he  could  find  an  opportunity 
of  j)roclaiming  redemption  for  the  lost.  Like  the  great 
apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  he  feared  no  danger  and  never 
cared  for  weariness.  Love  to  God  and  souls  as  an 
irresistible  impulse  bore  him  on  over  every  possible  in- 
firmity and  obstacle.  His  zeal  impelled,  his  eloquence 
attracted  and  his  loving  story  convinced.  Suffering 
had  no  power  to  keep  him  back.  Hardships  might 
await  him,  and  ignorance  misunderstand,  and  blas- 
phemy persecute ;  the  authorities  might  refuse  to  hear, 
and  governments  oppose ;  he  might  even  be  arrested 
and  carried  to  prison,  yet  through  all  his  ardor  could 
not  be  abated  nor  his  labors  relaxed. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  105 

He  was  sent  for  far  and  near  to  preach  to  anxious 
thousands ;  immense  assemblies  would  gather  to  hear 
him ;  and  sobs  would  break  out,  cries  would  rend  the 
air  and  hearts  seem  breaking  as  he  poured  forth  the 
story  of  sin  and  guilt  and  danger,  and  at  the  same 
time  spoke  of  the  bleeding  love  of  Jesus  as  a  remedy 
for  all.  Hundreds  of  true  converts  were  to  be  found 
in  the  track  over  which  he  had  passed ;  the  most  de- 
vout and  reliable  of  men  would  tell  of  the  results  of 
his  ministry;  and  God  set  his  seal  wherever  he  went. 
The  amount  of  work  he  performed  and  the  success 
which  attended  it  no  tongue  can  tell ;  not  until  eter- 
nity will  all  be  seen  and  the  results  appreciated. 

This  all,  be  it  remembered,  was  accomplished  in  only 
four  or  five  years.  Wonderful  is  the  power  of  God  as 
it  was  displayed  in  this  blessed  man.  Our  investigations 
into  this  amazing  record  were  prompted  by  a  casual 
notice  concerning  him  by  Dr.  Alexander :  "  Probably 
Mr.  Robinson  during  the  short  period  of  his  life  was  the 
instrument  in  the  conversion  of  as  many  souls  as  any 
minister  who  ever  lived  in  this  country."  Could  this 
be  so?  When  the  writer  read  the  accounts  of  his  labors 
given  by  Dr.  Samuel  Davis  of  Virginia,  Dr.  Belamy  of 
New  England,  Mr.  Samuel  Morris  of  Virginia,  himself 
converted  under  Mr.  Robinson's  ministry,  and  others, 
then  he  could  not  doubt ;  yea,  he  was  sure  that  the  half 
had  not  been  told. 

REV.    JOHN    ROWLAND. 

In  laying  the  foundations  of  the  Church  it  became 
important  that  not  only  the  truth  should  be  dissemi- 
nated generally  among  the  masses  throughout  the  land, 
but  that  there  should  be  at  least  one  centre  where  the 
gospel  should  secure  a  hold  on  the  entire  community  ; 


106  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

where  its  sanctifying  influence  on  society  should  be  wit- 
nessed ;  where  the  churches  should  be  fully  organized 
as  a  model  for  all  other  churches;  where  families  tho- 
roughly imbued  with  the  Spirit  of  Christ  should  be  pre- 
pared as  bulwarks  of  the  faith  for  many  ages  to  come ; 
and  where  many  faithful  believers  should  be  prepared 
to  issue  forth  into  distant  settlements  and  there  build 
up  new  congregations.  For  this  special  work  a  man 
imbued  with  the  fervent  spirit  of  the  Log  College  was 
needed ;  and  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  had  that 
man  ready  in  the  person  of  the  Rev.  John  Rowland. 

Of  the  early  days  of  this  eminent  man  of  God  we 
know  absolutely  nothing,  excepting  that  he  was  a  boy 
or  young  man  of  the  Log  College.  His  history  becomes 
definitely  known  to  us  only  when,  in  1738,  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Brunswick.  On  the  very  day  of  his  licensure  he 
received  an  urgent  invitation  to  take  immediate  charge 
of  the  two  then  small  churches  of  Maidenhead  (now 
Lawrenceville)  and  of  Hopewell  (now  Pennington)  in 
the  State  of  New  Jersey.  That  call  he  accepted,  and 
at  once  entered  upon  his  work  Avith  burning  zeal  and 
marvelous  success.  In  a  very  short  time  his  influence 
was  felt  throughout  the  whole  neighborhood,  which  was 
stirred  to  its  depths.  Great  awakenings  were  experi- 
enced in  the  churches  and  in  the  whole  vicinity,  in 
which  hundreds  were  converted,  by  their  subsequent 
lives  proving  that  the  work  was  from  God ;  religion 
became  a  vital  power  in  the  Avhole  community,  and 
many  fiimilies  dated  their  unwavering  loyalty  to  Christ 
from  that  blessed  season  of  refreshing. 

All  this  was  the  result  of  the  earnest  services  of  this 
devoted  man,  whom  God's  Spirit  strengthened  almost 
as  if  he  were  inspired.     Four  years  afterward,  in  1742, 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  107 

he  removed  to  another  field  of  almost  superhuman  toil 
and  marvelous  success.  This  new  field  was  in  the  same 
region  of  country,  but  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  in 
what  is  called  the  Great  Valley  church,  of  which  the 
Rev.  R.  M.  Patterson,  D.  D.,  editor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Journal,  is  uow  the  pastor,  and  of  the  Norriton  and 
Providence  churches,  of  which  the  Rev.  Henry  L.  Ro- 
denbaugh  has  been  the  pastor  for  more  than  forty-five 
years.  Scenes  of  reviving  were  awaiting  Mr.  Rowland 
in  this  new  field  similar  to  those  Avith  which  he  had 
been  blessed  in  the  churches  of  Maidenhead  and  Hope- 
well. The  whole  community  became  deeply  stirred 
about  the  vast  concerns  of  eternity.  The  burning  words 
of  the  man  of  God  touched  many  hearts  wherever  he 
preached,  and  he  preached  every  day  somewhere  in  the 
region.  He  denounced  tlie  prevailing  sins,  warned  of 
the  coming  wrath  and  proclaimed  the  mercy  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus.  Men  were  alarmed  in  their  inmost  souls  ; 
they  cried  out  in  the  agony  of  conscious  guilt ;  their 
very  bodies  were  convulsed  by  the  distress  of  their 
minds;  and  multitudes  of  them  received  from  their 
gracious  Lord  the  gift  of  eternal  life.  The  churches 
were  largely  increased  in  their  membership,  the  tone  of 
piety  was  greatly  elevated,  principles  of  godliness  were 
established,  deep  and  solid  foundations  were  laid  and 
the  cause  of  Christ  was  confirmed  for  many  generations 
to  come.  Some  of  the  results  of  this  great  work  under 
the  preacliing  of  Mr.  Rowland  may  be  appreciated  when 
it  is  stated  that  among  his  converts  was  the  grandfather 
of  the  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander,  then  living  close  by 
the  Providence  church,  and  that  in  the  same  neighl)or- 
hood  and  under  the  same  intluence  resided  the  ancestors 
of  the  three  eminently  useful  and  beloved  brothers,  the 
Rev.  Samuel  M.  Hamill,  D.D.,  the  Rev.  Hugh  Hamill, 


I 


108  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

D.  D,,  and  the  Rev.  Robert  Hamill,  D.  D.,  of  tUe  Henrys 
and  of  many  others  well  known  in  the  Church  in  after- 
days. 

The  scenes  of  that  revival  season  must  have  been 
intensely  interesting.  The  most  hardened  were  melted 
and  brought  to  the  feet  of  Christ.  Marvelous  effects 
were  j^roduced.  The  whole  region  was  changed  in  its 
religious  character.  Mr.  Rowland  did  not  confine  his  la- 
bors to  the  mere  vicinity  of  his  churches,  but  as  a  faithful 
and  earnest  messenger  of  God,  he  swept  over  the  whole 
region  around  for  many  miles,  with  the  same  blessed 
effect  following  him  wherever  he  went.  His  preaching 
must  have  been  of  the  most  arousing  character.  So 
forcibly  did  he  present  the  terms  of  the  law  in  order  to 
bring  men  to  Christ  that  the  opposers  and  the  thought- 
less were  in  the  habit  of  nicknaming  him  "  Hell-fire 
Rowland." 

Here,  too,  the  work  of  Mr.  Rowland,  though  mighty 
in  results,  was  very  brief,  for  it  ended  with  his  life,  not 
later  than  1745,  when  he  could  not  have  been  much,  if 
any,  over  thirty  years  of  age.  Like  the  time  of  his 
birth  and  circumstances  of  his  youth,  the  time,  place 
and  manner  of  his  death  are  all  unknown.  But  what 
a  glorious  life  it  was !  Not  more  than  seven  years 
could  his  public  ministry  have  lasted,  and  yet  in  that 
short  time  the  churches  of  Lawrence ville  and  Penning- 
ton, from  which  came  the  Greens  and  other  eminently 
godly  families,  sprung  into  new  life  and  greatness,  as 
did  also  the  churches  of  Great  Valley,  of  Providence 
and  of  Norriton,  from  which  came  the  Alexanders,  the 
Hamills  and  many  another  of  honored  name. 

Two  events  in  the  life  of  this  remarkable  man  were 
so  peculiarly  interesting  that  we  may  not  pass  them 
over  without  special  notice.     One  was,  that  the  licens- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  109 

ing  of  Mr.  Rowland  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Bruns- 
wick was  under  its  peculiar  circumstances  the  occasion 
of  bringing  the  alienation  between  the  members  of  that 
Presbytery  to  a  crisis  which  resulted  in  the  Great  Schism 
of  the  Church  of  that  early  day.  As,  however,  this  was 
not  through  any  personal  agency  of  Mr.  Rowland,  and 
as  the  whole  subject  will  come  up  in  another  connection, 
we  shall  not  dwell  on  it  farther  in  this  place. 

The  other  event  was  so  very  singular  in  itself,  so 
curious  and  full  of  interest,  and  so  connected  with  other 
men  from  the  Log  College,  that  it  must  be  related  at 
some  length. 

It  seems  that  immediately  after  Mr.  Rowland  was 
located  in  Maidenhead  and  Hopewell  there  was  prowl- 
ing around  the  country  a  certain  noted  villain  called 
Tom  Bell.  He  appears  to  have  been  an  artful  thief, 
counterfeiter,  gambler,  and  especially  a  horse-thief.  At 
one  time,  while  lurking  in  Princeton  and  watching  for 
victims,  he  accidentally  discovered  that  there  was  a 
remarkable  resemblance  between  himself  and  Mr.  Row- 
land, then  becoming  known  as  a  great  evangelist.  This 
fact  the  scoundrel  was  adroit  enough  to  determine  to 
turn  to  his  advantage.  Accordingly,  he  hastened  at 
once  to  a  distant  part  of  the  State,  and  under  the  name 
of  Rowland  ingratiated  himself  with  a  certain  farmer 
whom  he  knew  to  be  an  elder  in  a  neighboring  Presby- 
terian church,  then  without  a  pastor.  He  engaged  with 
the  elder  to  preach  for  this  church  on  the  next  Sab- 
bath ;  and  then  he  managed,  while  on  the  way  to 
church,  to  return  to  the  house,  pretending  to  have  for- 
gotten his  manuscript,  and  then  robbed  the  house  of 
such  valuables  as  he  could  find  and  escaped  with  the 
farmer's  horse,  on  which  he  rode. 

Mr.  Rowland,  whom  the  wretch  personated   so  well, 


110  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

was,  of  course,  generally  believed  to  have  been  the  horse- 
thief,  and  so  in  due  time  he  was  arrested,  imprisoned  and 
tried.  Upon  the  testimony,  however,  of  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Tennent  of  Freehold  and  two  other  friends,  who 
swore  that  they  knew  him  to  be  elsewhere  on  that  day, 
an  alibi  was  proved  and  Mr.  Rowland  was  acquitted. 

But  the  enemies  of  religion,  one  of  whom  was  the 
judge  of  the  court  where  the  trial  occurred,  were  not 
satisfied  that  Mr.  Rowland  and  his  friends  should  thus 
escape.  They  wanted  to  wound  the  cause  of  Christ 
through  them.  They  managed  to  bring  a  charge  of 
perjury  against  Mr.  Tennent  and  the  two  friends  for 
false  swearing  on  the  trial,  had  them  arrested,  the 
friends  tried,  and  one  of  them  convicted  and  subjected 
to  the  shameful  punishment  of  the  pillory.  The  trial 
of  Mr.  Tennent  was  yet  to  come  on.  The  day  came, 
and  when  on  his  way  to  the  court-house,  refusing  all 
legal  aid,  as  he  maintained  that  God,  who  knew  of  his 
perfect  innocence,  would  be  his  defender,  he  was  met 
by  an  aged  man  and  wife,  who  asserted  that  they  had 
both  had  the  same  dream  in  one  night,  and  were  so 
impressed  by  it  that  they  had  come  all  the  way  from 
Maryland  to  assist  him  in  some  way.  According  to 
their  dreams,  Mr.  Tennent  was  in  some  great  trouble 
in  Trenton,  and  they  alone  could  help  him  out  of  it. 
Here  they  were  for  that  purpose,  whatever  it  might  be. 
A  legal  friend  interrogated  them,  and  found  that  the 
couple  could  both  testify  that  at  the  time  of  the  stealing 
of  the  horse  Mr.  Rowland  was  certainly  at  their  home 
in  the  State  of  Maryland,  and  so  could  not  possibly 
have  been  connected  with  the  theft.  The  alibi  to  which 
Mr.  Tennent  had  sworn  was  thus  established,  and  he 
was  thereby  acquitted  and  saved  from  the  shame  and 
suffering  of  conviction. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  Ill 

Now,  how  are  we  to  regard  these  tliree  strange  inci- 
dents in  the  lives  of  these  remarkable  men  of  God — 
this  event  and  the  trance  of  William  Tennent  and  the 
loss  of  his  toes  in  sleep?  They  all  seem  utterly  inex- 
plicable on  any  ordinary  grounds.  No  merely  natural 
explanation  of  them  that  is  at  all  satisfactory  has  ever 
been  suggested.  Even  supposing  the  trance  to  have 
been  a  case  of  catalepsy,  what  explanation  can  be  given 
of  the  sight  of  the  inexpressible  glory  which  Tennent 
afterward  declared  that  he  had  beheld  ?  Why  may 
not  all  of  them  be  accounted  for  as  the  result  of  divine 
agency  or  divine  permission  ?  In  the  case  of  that  ex- 
traordinary man,  at  that  time  of  extraordinary  religious 
awakening,  and  in  that  crisis  of  the  laying  of  the  foun- 
dations of  a  great  Church  of  God  in  this  new  country, 
why  may  we  not  say  that  these  miracles  were  granted  to 
awaken  deeper  religious  thought  among  the  people,  and 
to  establish  faith  more  firmly  ?  It  is  admitted  that  as 
miracles  were  wrought  once  to  establish  the  truth,  so 
they  might  be  again  if  there  came  a  crisis  in  which 
they  were  required.  And  surely  that  was  a  crisis  of 
the  gravest  importance.  Yea,  would  not  the  admis- 
sion that  these  were  miracles  of  undoubted  occurrence, 
and  that  in  recent  days,  tend  greatly  to  confirm  our 
belief  in  the  other  miracles,  those  of  the  Scripture? 
At  any  rate,  it  is  believed  that  this  explanation  of 
these  strange  events  is  much  more  satisfactory  than 
any  other  that  has  ever  been  attempted. 

THE   REV.   CHARLES    C.   BEATTY. 

There  was  yet  another  kind  of  work  that  needed  to 
be  done  in  connection  with  the  Log  College — a  work 
which  required  more  activity  and  zeal,  if  possible, 
than  either  of  the  others  which  have  been  described. 


112  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

The  college  had  been  established  as  a  fountain  of  learn- 
ing and  piety  and  fervent  zeal,  and  its  sons  were  defin- 
ing principles  and  building  churches  and  disseminat- 
ing truth  and  righteousness.  Mr.  Rowland  was  laying 
deeper  foundations  in  its  immediate  neighborhood,  and 
Mr.  Robinson  was  seeking  the  salvation  of  the  more 
remote  masses.  But  were  these  localities  the  only  ones 
that  were  to  participate  in  the  benefits  of  the  college  ? 
Were  not  the  tidings  of  what  God  was  doing  in  that 
institution  to  spread  much  farther  to  the  glory  of  his 
grace  ?  Were  not  its  sound  principles,  its  intelligent 
piety  and  its  zealous  spirit  to  be  made  known,  and 
in  some  measure  partaken  of,  in  distant  regions  of  our 
land,  and  even  in  distant  parts  of  the  world  ?  Truly, 
they  were,  and  God  had  another  man  ready  to  whom 
this  work  should  be  entrusted. 

That  man  was  the  Rev.  Charles  Clinton  Beatty,  an- 
other of  the  sons  of  the  Log  College.  Who  but  one 
trained  in  that  college  could  carry  abroad  its  spirit,  tell 
fully  of  its  work  and  disseminate  its  peculiarly  script- 
ural and  fervent  piety  ?  And  even  of  the  men  who 
had  been  trained  in  the  college,  Mr.  Beatty  had  the 
qualifications  which  were  the  best  adapted  for  such 
work.  He  had  been  educated  in  that  school ;  he  had 
had  the  experience  of  a  long  pastorate  in  applying  the 
truth  to  individual  souls ;  he  had  a  well-cultured  mind, 
which  made  him  at  home  in  any  circle ;  he  had  a 
bright,  adventurous  spirit,  which  kept  him  always  act- 
ive and  called  him  forward  to  new  enterprises ;  and, 
above  all,  he  had  a  fervent  piety  and  love  which  never 
cooled  or  tired. 

Such  was  the  man  who  was  God's  chosen  instrument 
for  this  peculiar  work.  In  saying  this  we  do  not  as- 
sume the  power  of  reading  God's  great  designs,  but  we 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  113 

may  reverently  interpret  liis  purposes  as  they  have  been 
made  plain  to  us  by  their  results. 

We  assume,  then,  that  Mr.  Beatty's  specially  ap- 
pointed mission  was  to  make  the  spirit  and  the  work 
of  the  Log  College  (meaning  by  the  Log  College  it  and 
the  institutions  that  sprung  from  it)  known  and  felt  in 
distant  regions  of  this  country  as  well  as  in  other  lands. 
Let  us  see  how  he  was  led  of  Providence  in  the  })er- 
formance  of  that  work;  and  in  following  him  we  shall 
not  take  his  movements  in  their  chronological  order, 
but  in  the  way  that  may  enable  us  the  best  to  appre- 
ciate their  importance.  In  no  instance  did  he  aim 
directly  and  of  fixed  purpose  at  that  which  was  his 
divinely-appointed  mission ;  in  the  providence  of 
God  he  was  sent  apparently  on  far  different  errands, 
but  that  great  end  was  always  the  final  result.  We 
can  discern  this  ultimate  aim  of  the  great  Head  of 
the  Church  in  every  scene  through  which  his  servant 
was  led. 

One  day,  while  Mr.  Tennent  was  busily  engaged  in 
the  ordinary  duties  of  his  school,  a  young  peddler  bear- 
ing his  pack  of  goods  entered  the  door,  and  at  once 
engaged  in  conversation  with  the  teacher,  and,  much 
to  the  latter's  astonishment,  spoke  in  correct  Latin  lan- 
guage and  on  subjects  which  revealed  in  him  good  sense 
and  learning  and  earnest  piety.  No  wonder  that  Mr. 
Tennent  was  amazed,  and  continued  in  the  conveiisation 
for  a  long  time.  Then,  seeing  what  was  in  the  young 
man,  he  promptly  and  wisely  charged  him  :  "  Go  and 
sell  the  contents  of  your  pack  and  return  immediately 
and  study  with  me.  It  would  be  a  sin  for  you  to  continue 
a  peddler  when  you  can  be  so  much  more  useful  in  an- 
other profession."  The  young  man  had  the  good  sense 
and  the  piety  to  take  the  advice,  and  became  a  student 


114  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

in  the  Log  College  with  a  view  to  entering  upon  the 
sacred  ministry. 

That  new  student  was  Charles  Clinton  Beatty.  He 
was  a  young  Irishman,  at  this  time  of  about  fifteen 
years  of  age,  having  been  born  about  the  year  1715 
in  county  Antrim.  That  day  he  commenced  in  the 
cause  of  the  gospel  a  career  which  was  singularly  faith- 
ful and  almost  wildly  romantic.  God  was  leading  him 
in  the  first  step  toward  preparation  for  a  life  of  extra- 
ordinary usefulness. 

He  finished  his  studies  in  due  time,  and  was  licensed 
to  preach  October  13,  1742.  He  was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled as  pastor  of  the  church  of  Neshaminy,  December 
14,  1743.  It  was  an  evidence  of  the  attractiveness  of 
his  preaching  that  he  should  be  called  to  the  church 
in  which  all  must  have  been  familiar  with  him  from 
his  boyhood. 

And  now  began  the  work  of  his  great  mission,  which 
was  afterward  carried  on  even  while  he  continued  pas- 
tor of  Neshaminy,  which  was  for  no  less  than  twenty- 
nine  years. 

He  was  chosen  (providentially)  as  a  trustee  of  Prince- 
ton College,  where,  year  after  year,  he  associated  with  men 
of  culture  and  piety  and  great  influence,  and  thereby 
had  an  opportunity  of  informing  and  interesting  that 
class  of  the  community  in  the  grand  results  of  the  work 
of  the  humble  school  on  the  banks  of  the  Neshaminy. 

He  was  sent  out  on  two  different  expeditions  to  col- 
lect money  for  the  Widows'  Fund  for  the  relief  of  poor 
and  aged  ministers  and  the  widows  and  children  of  de- 
ceased ministers.  This  was  his  immediate  mission,  but 
beyond  it  the  ultimate  object  was  to  carry  with  him  the 
spirit  he  had  learned  at  home,  and  to  tell  throughout  all 
the  churches  of  the  great  and  good  work  of  God  with 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  115 

which  he  was  so  intimately  connected  in  the  heart  of 
his  own  Presbytery. 

He  was  sent,  in  company  with  others,  througliout  the 
regions  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  to  preach  the 
glorious  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  but  with  the  still 
higher  purpose  of  imparting  the  spirit  and  showing  the 
example  and  telling  the  story  of  God's  mighty  energy  as 
seen  in  his  fiivored  home,  where  there  had  been  opened 
such  a  spring  of  blessings  intended  to  enrich  the  whole 
land. 

He  was  sent  again  and  again  to  the  army  as  chaplain 
to  minister  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  brave  men  who 
were  defending  their  homes  against  the  sava2;e  attacks 
of  the  French  and  Indians,  but  with  the  ulterior  purpose 
of  imbuing  by  means  of  his  own  glowing  spirit  of  piety 
the  officers  and  men  who  in  due  time  would  return 
to  their  residences  throughout  the  country  with  new 
thoughts  concerning  God  and  the  soul.  A  specimen 
of  Mr.  Beatty's  Christian  patriotism  was  brought  to 
light  by  this  army  experience.  In  a  speech  to  his 
own  people,  intended  to  stir  them  up  on  behalf  of 
the  cause,  he  exclaimed,  at  the  close  of  a  Sabbath 
service,  "  The  savages  have  attacked  the  frontier  set- 
tlements and  are  murdering  our  fellow-citizens.  The 
Government  has  made  a  call  for  volunteers  to  march 
with  a  view  to  attack  and  drive  them  back,  but  I 
regret  to  learn  that  the  call  is  not  very  promptly 
met.  It  is  certainly  somebody's  duty  to  go,  and  I 
have  determined,  if  the  Synod  allow  me,  to  offer  my 
services  as  chaplain,  and  thus  do  my  part.  Of  course 
it  will  be  very  pleasant  for  me  to  have  the  company 
of  any  of  the  congregation  or  my  neighbors  who 
may  feel  it  their  duty  to  go."  The  result  of  the  ap- 
peal was  that  during  the  next  week  a  hundred   men 


116  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

joined  the  company  and  went  in  defence  of  tlieir 
country. 

He  was  sent,  providentially,  on  a  mission  to  the  In- 
dians to  teach  them  the  way  of  life,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  make  known,  even  in  their  distant  wilds,  the 
wondrous  scenes  of  deep  spiritual  life  that  were  wit- 
nessed in  that  hallowed  building  of  logs  almost  as  hum- 
ble as  those  they  had  erected  within  their  own  borders. 

He  was  sent  to  the  West  Indies  to  collect  from  the 
British  settlers  there  funds  for  a  needed  charity  at 
home ;  but  the  higher  purpose  of  God  was  that  he 
might  tell  these  people  the  blessed  things  that  were 
attending  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  in  the  favored 
spot  where  his  own  lot  was  cast. 

He  was  sent  to  Great  Britain  twice — once  to  collect 
money  for  the  same  charitable  purpose,  and  once  to 
obtain  medical  advice  for  his  suffering  wife ;  but  beyond 
these  first  purposes  was  the  better  one  of  spreading 
before  many  a  congregation,  before  the  great  and  the 
humble,  before  princes  and  nobles,  the  knowledge  and 
the  spirit  of  the  Log  College,  so  that  they  would  be 
known  in  the  lands  of  England  and  Ireland  and  Scot- 
laud,  and  even  Holland,  and  a  faint  impress  of  that 
spirit  be  left  in  those  countries. 

Thus  was  he  led  of  Providence,  and  whether  in  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Princeton  College,  or  on  the  mis- 
sionary journey,  or  in  the  tents  of  the  army,  or  among 
the  Indian  wigwams,  or  in  the  groves  of  Barbadoes,  or 
on  the  ocean  vessel,  or  in  the  churches  or  courts  of 
Europe,  his  story  was  still  the  same — the  evangelical 
spirit,  the  blessed  awakening,  the  fervent  piety  and  the 
intelligent  zeal  of  that  school  of  the  prophets  where 
God  was  preparing  influences  that  were  to  mould  the 
destiny  of  a  future  great  empire. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  117 

Nor  was  this  the  only  disseminating  influence  that 
sprung  from  this  most  blessed  man.  To  him  it  was 
also  granted  to  transmit  his  own  ardent  spirit  of  godli- 
ness even  to  the  present  time.  No  family  in  the  whole 
land  has  spread  out  so  widely  into  other  families  of  evan- 
gelicid  spirit  and  deep  piety  as  has  that  of  Mr.  Beatty. 
His  eleven  children,  all  but  two  of  whom  lived  to  be- 
come men  and  women,  with  their  children  and  remoter 
descendants,  have  been  dispersed  throughout  the  whole 
Church  and  all  the  succeeding  generations  as  ministers, 
teachers,  physicians,  army  ofiicers,  wives  of  ministers, 
students,  elders  of  churches,  prominent  citizens  and 
holders  of  public  trusts  innumerable — among  them  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Boyd  of  Newtown,  the  wife  of  the 
Rev.  Robert  Steel,  D.  D.,  of  Arlington,  Charles  Beatty, 
M.  D.,  of  Montgomery  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  very 
many  others,  forming  a  marvelous  instance  of  God's 
faithfulness  to  his  covenant.  One  striking  example  is 
found  in  that,  ninety  years  after  the  death  of  this  Mr. 
Beatty,  his  grandson,  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Beatty,  D.  D.,  was 
in  1862  the  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  of  that 
Church  whose  foundations  his  grandfather  had  taken 
such  a  prominent  part  in  laying. 

Mr.  Beatty  entered  the  Log  College  a  lad  of  about 
seventeen  years,  and  died  in  Barbadoes,  while  still  en- 
gaged in  the  Master's  work,  August  3,  1772,  at  the  age 
of  about  fifty-seven.  A  more  stirring  and  eventful  life 
than  his  there  was  not  among  the  ten  eminent  ministers 
whose  lives  we  have  traced  from  the  Log  College  through 

o  o  c? 

their  grand  and  varied  work  in  laying  the  foundations 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Two  other  names  we  might  also  have  added  to  this 
noble  array  of  the  sons  of  the  Log  College — one  the 
Rev.  William  M.  Tenneut,  D.  D.,  long  pastor  of  the 


118  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Abington  church,  son  of  Charles  Tenuent  and  grand- 
son of  William  Tennent,  founder  of  the  Log  College; 
and  the  other  the  Rev.  Samuel  Da  vies,  D.  D.,  one  of 
the  greatest  preachers  of  this  country  and  president  of 
Princeton  College.  Though  they  did  not  receive  their 
education  at  the  Log  College,  they  did  receive  it  at  the 
Fagg's  Manor  school,  which  sprang  from  the  college. 
It  is  true  that  if  we  took  the  name  of  Rev.  Dr.  Wil- 
liam M.  Tennent,  who  was  of  the  Tennent  family,  and 
might  well  be  held  up  to  view  as  the  model  pastor,  and 
added  it,  as  well  as  that  of  his  grandfather,  to  the  hon- 
ored roll,  we  should  have  the  significant  number  of  the 
twelve.  Twelve !  We  cannot  name  it  without  thoughts 
of  the  apostolic  band.  Nor  can  we  trace  the  corre- 
spondence a  little  more  closely  without  thinking  of 
the  chosen  three,  Peter,  John  and  James,  and  then 
of  the  other  three  of  our  early  Church,  Gilbert  Ten- 
nent, Samuel  Boyd  and  Samuel  Finley. 

CATHARINE   KENNEDY. 

Another  name — that  of  a  woman — we  place  the  last 
on  the  glorious  list  of  all  that  we  have  named  as  con- 
nected with  the  Log  College,  not  because  we  consider 
her  the  least  in  importance,  but  because,  on  account  of 
her  position,  usefulness  and  excellence,  we  consider  that 
she  deserves  to  stand  the  highest  of  all.  We  place  her 
name  at  the  close  because  until  the  whole  field  was  laid 
open  we  could  not  appreciate  what  she  was  and  what 
she  did.  Her  name,  which  will  no  doubt  be  held  in 
everlasting  remembrance,  was  Catharine  Kennedy — the 
real  founder  of  the  Log  College. 

Unseen,  unheralded,  almost  unknown,  her  influence 
was  deeper,  stronger,  wider  and  more  lasting  than  that 
of  any  other  of  the  group.     An  Irish  girl,  brought  up 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  119 

in  a  Presbyterian  manse  in  an  atmosphere  of  religion, 
her  mind  stored  with  sacred  truth,  she  could  not  re- 
member the  time  when  she  did  not  supremely  love  her 
Lord,  God  was  preparing  her  for  a  life  second  prob- 
ably to  that  of  no  other  human  being  in  influence  for 
weal  on  this  land.  A  finer  instance  the  world  has 
hai'dly  ever  beheld  of  unconscious  influence. 

She  was  married  in  1702  to  a  young  E])iscopal  cler- 
gyman of  fine  mental  endowments  and  culture.  How 
much  had  she  to  do  by  her  godly  example  and  refined 
tact  in  leading  him  to  leave  the  Church  of  his  fathers 
and  enter  that  of  the  Presbyterian  faith,  attracted  by 
such  beautiful  specimens  as  those  of  her  father  and  her- 
self? How  much  in  establishino;  him  in  the  doctrines 
and  order  of  his  adopted  faith  ? 

A  few  years  are  passed  in  their  native  country,  part 
of  the  time  in  county  Armagh  and  ])art  in  Colerain, 
county  Antrim.  Four  sons  are  born  to  them,  with 
no  permanent  settlement  for  them  at  home,  an  increas- 
ing family  to  be  educated,  an  earnest  call  for  missiona- 
ries in  America.  Shall  they  go  ?  Who  can  tell  how 
much  the  wife's  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  her 
maternal  care  for  the  future  of  her  boys  and  her  strong, 
earnest,  sanctified  good  sense  had  to  do  with  bringing 
her  husband,  the  Rev.  William  Tennent,  to  this  land? 

They  reach  it,  but  find  it  only  a  little  removed  from 
an  absolute  wilderness.  How  much  had  her  patient 
endurance  and  comforting  words  to  do  with  cheering 
her  sometimes  desponding  husband  in  those  trying 
days  ? 

The  Log  College  is  founded.  Where  was  she  then  ? 
Would  it  ever  have  been  built  without  her  counsel, 
her  cheer  and  her  self-sacrifices  ?  And  now  we  see  her 
in    her   best   estate — her   husband    to   encourage,   her 


120  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

family  to  sustain  by  her  careful  economy,  new  boys  to 
receive  into  her  own  household  or  provide  for  in  the 
neighborhood.  We  fancy  all  those  boys  coming  to  her 
as  to  a  mother,  telling  her  their  doubts  and  fears  and 
looking  to  her  for  advice  in  their  troubles.  She  receives 
them,  too,  into  her  motherly  confidence,  cheers  them  in 
their  home-sickness,  nurses  them  in  their  ailments,  coun- 
sels them  in  difficulties. 

Brave  Catharine !  thy  name  is  not  heralded,  but  God 
knows  how  much  thy  tender  wisdom  contributed  to- 
ward making  the  Log  College  the  unspeakable  bless- 
ing it  became  to  the  Church  and  the  country. 

But  the  effects  of  her  influence  were  only  beginning 
to  be  seen  there.  Would  those  boys  ever  have  been 
the  great  and  good  men  which  they  afterward  became 
had  it  not  been  for  her  agency  in  forming  their  charac- 
ter ?  Her  daily  care  over  them,  her  yearning  love  for 
their  souls,  the  charming  power  of  her  godly  example, 
her  affectionate  lessons  of  piety,  her  exalted  Christian 
principles  and  her  self-control  and  self-sacrifice, — these 
were  unseen  influences  which  she  could  impart,  and 
which  she  did  impart,  with  all  the  tenderness  of  the 
woman  and  the  mother.  Thus  she  aided  in  establish- 
ing their  deepest  and  purest  principles  and  rendered  the 
most  important  assistance  in  forming  their  character. 

Afterward  they  went  forth  preaching  the  gospel  in 
every  quarter,  bringing  thousands  of  souls  to  Christ, 
building  up  churches  in  many  regions,  establishing 
schools  and  academies,  some  of  them  almost  as  influ- 
ential as  the  one  in  which  they  had  received  their  own 
training  for  the  ministry,  and  starting  streams  of  godly 
influences  that  flowed  over  the  whole  land,  the  currents 
of  which  have  not  subsided  even  to  this  present  day, 
Nottingham,  Fagg's  Manor,  Pequa,  Jefferson  College, 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  121 

Hampden- Sidney  College  of  Virginia,  Princeton  Col- 
lege and  many  other  institutions  are  monuments  to 
the  power  and  perseverance  of  this  most  blessed  wo- 
man, whom  God  raised  up  and  graciously  led  all  her 
days  to  leave  a  sanctifying  im})ress  upon  our  whole 
history. 

Where  is  there  another  woman  who  has  originated 
such  chains  of  godly  influences  as  these?  After  what 
she  did  who  shall  claim  that  they  occupy  jwsitions  too 
obscure  for  them  ever  to  accomplish  anything  in  the 
great  cause  of  Christ  for  the  redemption  of  the  lost 
world?  Whoever  at  any  time  attempts  to  write  the 
history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  these  United 
States  of  America,  let  him  give  to  the  name  of  Catii- 
arine  Kennedy  a  place  of  honor  that  shall  be  second  to 
no  other,  or,  rather,  let  him  place  it  above  all  the  rest. 

WAS  THE  LOG  COLLEGE  THE  GERM  OF  PRINCETON 
COLLEGE  ? 

Was  the  Log  College  the  germ  of  Princeton  College  ? 
is  a  question  that  will  be  answered  either  in  the  affirma- 
tive or  negative  accordins;  to  what  it  is  understood  to 
mean.  Does  it  mean.  Was  the  Log  College,  with  its 
organization,  its  plans  and  its  property,  its  principles  and 
its  spirit,  transferred  to  Princeton,  where  it  could  have 
a  fuller  scope  and  a  wider  curriculum  ?  To  this  there 
must  be  an  emphatic  No !  No  such  historical  event 
ever  occurred  in  connection  with  the  institutions.  But 
does  the  question  mean,  Did  the  Log  College  prepare 
the  way  for  Princeton  College,  make  its  necessity  to  be 
felt,  fill  the  place  into  which  it  afterward  entered,  de- 
velop the  idea  which  it  embraced,  and  so  lead  to  its 
establishment  ?  Then  we  say  without  hesitation,  and 
with  very  little  fear  of  contradiction.  It  contained  the 


122  PRESBYTERY  OF  TEE  LOO   COLLEGE. 

germ  first  imbedded  in  the  one  and  then  more  fully 
developed  in  the  other. 

In  asserting  this  very  decided  opinion  we  do  not  rest 
upon  mere  queries  or  conjectures  or  reports  or  traditions, 
but  on  facts  well  known  and  admitted.  Some  of  these 
facts  we  shall  give  as  distinct  propositions,  so  that  they 
may  be  separately  weighed  and  their  importance  appre- 
ciated. 

(1)  The  first  fact,  admitted  by  all,  is  that  Princeton 
College  had  its  origin  amid  the  controversies  which  led 
to  the  Old  and  New  Measures  schism  in  1741.  It  is  also 
known  that  the  most  disturbing  element  in  those  contro- 
versies was  that  which  pertained  to  the  inadequacy  of 
the  training  for  the  ministry  which  was  to  be  found  in 
the  Log  College.  Hence  it  was  that,  after  the  schism, 
that  question  was  put  out  of  the  way  of  all  farther  agi- 
tation by  the  setting  up  of  another  college,  even  that 
at  Princeton,  where  the  training  would  be  of  so  much 
wider  and  more  thorough  character  that  thereafter  all 
would  be  satisfied. 

(2)  The  second  fact  is  that  both  institutions  had  pre- 
cisely the  same  object  in  view — the  suitable  education 
of  young  men  for  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry. 
That  was  the  first  and  all-pervading  purpose  of  Tennent 
in  the  establishment  and  subsequent  conducting  of  his 
school.  It  was  also  the  design,  as  we  have  it  most  fully 
attested,  of  those  men  who  founded  the  college  of  Prince- 
ton. Precisely  the  same  radical  idea  ran  through  both 
institutions.  In  the  Log  College  that  idea  was  to  be  found 
in  its  most  feeble  germ  ;  in  Princeton  College  it  became 
more  fully  developed,  but  it  was  still  the  same  in  prin- 
ciple, and  this  it  was  which  bound  the  two  institutions 
together,  and  made  their  true  identity. 

(3)  A  third  fact  of  very  great  weight  is  the  coinci- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  123 

dence  in  the  time  of  closing  the  one  institution  with  the 
opening  of  the  other.  True,  this  fact  of  itself  does  not 
prove  our  proposition,  but  taken  in  connection  with  the 
many  other  facts  of  similar  bearing  it  is  almost  decisive. 
Princeton  College  opened  in  the  year  174G;  the  Log 
College  was  drawing  its  career  to  a  close  about  the  same 
date.  Mr.  Tennent  died  in  1746,  and  we  have  no  trace 
of  the  continuance  of  the  college  after  that  time.  Not 
only  the  Log  College,  but  also  the  Nottingham,  Fagg's 
Manor  and  Pequa  academies — all  of  which  had  sprung 
from  it,  and  were  one  with  it  in  aim  and  spirit — began 
to  decline  from  the  time  in  which  Princeton  was  opened. 

In  fact,  this  supposition  of  the  perpetuation  of  the  life 
of  the  Log  College  in  another  institution  is  necessary  in 
order  to  account  for  the  sudden  disappearance  of  that 
seminary.  It  was  in  the  high  tide  of  its  prosperity  and 
usefulness  when,  suddenly,  we  cease  to  hear  of  it.  How 
shall  we  account  for  this  except  on  the  theory  that  its 
life  passed  over  into  Princeton  ?  The  same  was  true  of 
the  academies  which  sprung  from  it.  We  have  wondered 
to  find  them  in  a  flourishing  condition  and  then  sud- 
denly passing  into  oblivion.  That  they  were  all  merged 
into  the  higher  institution  which  was  intended  to  take 
their  place  is  the  only  explanation  that  can  be  given. 

These  incontrovertible  facts  have  a  great  significance. 
Do  they  not  show  very  satisfactorily  that  the  life  and 
purpose  of  the  two  institutions  were  one  and  the  same? 
The  localities  of  the  two  schools  were  also  significant. 
The  Log  College  had  been  planted  near  the  centre  of 
the  Church,  so  that  it  might  reach  out  its  benefits 
equally  in  all  directions.  Its  location  was  on  the 
highway  between  the  two  great  cities.  The  location 
of  Princeton  was  selected  for  a  similar  reason.  Does 
not  this  show,  so  far,  the  identity  of  their  purpose? 


124  PRESBTTEBY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Had  tliey  had  different  aims  or  been  competitors,  is  it 
likely  they  both  would  have  had  their  locations  so  near 
to  each  other  ?  If  Princeton  was  intended  merely  as 
an  improvement  on  the  Log  College,  then  it  was  neces- 
sarily placed  near  to  it,  in  the  centre  of  the  region  that 
it  had  previously  benefitted. 

(4)  A  fourth  fact  which  has  a  most  important  bearing 
upon  the  question  we  are  considering  is  that  the  friends 
of  the  Log  College  took  a  most  influential  part  in  the 
founding  of  the  college  at  Princeton.  It  is  true  that 
both  Dickinson  and  Burr,  who  were  so  prominent  in 
organizing  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  were  graduates 
of  Yale,  but  both  of  them  had  lost  sympathy  with  that 
institution  in  consequence  of  the  unjust  treatment  they 
considered  that  Brainerd  had  received  from  its  Board,  of 
Trustees,  and  they  therefore  co-operated  fully  with  the 
men  of  the  Log  College.  And  besides  these,  "the  active 
friends  and  founders  of  Nassau  Hall  were  the  Tennents, 
Blairs,  Finley,  Smith,  Rogerses,  Davies  and  others  who 
had  received  their  education  in  the  Log  College  or  in 
schools  instituted  by  those  who  had  been  instructed 
there."  Even  Dr.  Maclean  acknowledges  that  "  the 
former  friends  of  the  Neshaminy  school  became  the 
earnest  and  devoted  friends  of  the  College  of  New 
Jersey." 

These  were  the  men  whose  names  appear  on  every  page 
of  the  history  of  Princeton's  first  struggles  into  being. 
As  instances  we  find  Gilbert  Tennent  conducting  the 
correspondence  with  the  colonial  governor.  Belcher, 
concerning  the  very  difiicult  matter,  as  it  appeared,  of 
obtaining  the  charter  for  the  College  of  New  Jersey. 
Moreover,  of  the  corporate  members  of  that  institution 
we  find  that  at  least  eight  or  ten  were  Log-College  men, 
among  them  Gilbert  Tennent,  William  Tennent,  Samuel 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  125 

Blair  and  Edward  Sbippen.  Still  further,  the  two  men 
selected  to  visit  Great  Britain  on  the  vitally  important 
mission  of  collecting  funds  for  the  new  college  were  Gil- 
bert Tennent  and  Samuel  Davies,  both  sons  of  the  Log 
College.  Concerning  that  mission  Mr.  Tennent  wrote : 
"\Ye  have  had  most  surprising  success  in  our  mission; 
which,  notwithstanding  the  languor  of  my  nature,  I 
cannot  review  without  passionate  emotions.  From  the 
best  information  of  our  friends  and  our  own  observation 
on  our  arrival  here,  we  could  not  raise  our  hopes  above 
three  hundred  pounds  ($1500),  but  we  have  already  got 
about  twelve  hundred  pounds  ($6000).  Our  friends  in 
America  cannot  hear  the  news  with  the  same  surprise, 
as  they  do  not  know  the  difficulties  we  had  to  encounter; 
but  to  me  it  seems  the  most  singular  interposition  of 
Providence  I  ever  saw."  Further,  again,  of  the  early 
presidents  of  Princeton  College  two  were  Log-College 
men — namely,  Samuel  Finley  and  Samuel  Davies ;  a 
third,  John  Blair,  was  acting  president  for  a  short  time; 
and  a  fourth,  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  was  educated  at 
Nottingham,  which  sprung  from  the  Log  College. 

Now,  putting  together  all  these  instances  of  the  active 
part  taken  by  Log-College  men  in  the  New  Jersey  insti- 
tution, we  cannot  but  conclude  that  they  were  design- 
edly preparing  a  college  of  a  higher  grade  to  take 
the  place  of  the  one  in  which  they  had  themselves 
been  educated. 

(5)  A  fifth  proof  of  our  theory  is  that  the  spirit, 
principles,  modes  of  instruction  and  work,  as  well  as  the 
essential  idea  of  both  institutions,  were  precisely  alike. 
In  both  the  spirit  of  earnest  piety  was  that  which  held 
the  uppermost  place ;  in  both  the  Bible  was  used  not 
only  in  the  daily  devotions,  but  also  as  a  text-book  for 
study  ;  in  both  religion  and  learning  went  side  by  side ; 


126  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

in  both  the  study  of  theology  as  preparatory  for  the 
ministry  of  the  gospel  was  a  branch  of  the  established 
course ;  and  in  both  the  thorough  study  of  mathematics 
for  the  training  of  the  reasoning  powers  and  of  the 
classics  for  the  cultivation  of  the  taste  and  of  the  power 
of  utterance  were  required.  In  every  other  respect  the 
course  of  studies  in  the  two  institutions  was  the  same, 
though  in  Princeton  greatly  enlarged  and  improved. 

(6)  A  sixth  evidence  that  the  Neshaminy  institution 
was  but  the  germ  of  Princeton  is  found  in  that  all  the 
authorities  acquainted  with  the  subject,  with  a  solitary 
exception,  agree  in  the  most  emphatic  testimony  that 
this  relation  did  exist. 

Our  first  authority  is  that  of  the  Rev.  Douglass  K. 
Turner,  who  has  studied  the  whole  subject  more  tho- 
roughly than  any  other  person  of  whom  we  know,  and 
who,  having  long  resided  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Log  Col- 
lege, has  been  led  to  make  himself  very  familiar  with 
its  history.  His  remarks  are :  "  The  germ  of  this  dis- 
tinguished seat  of  learning "  (Princeton  College) 
"  which  has  been  honored  by  a  long  list  of  eminent  men 
in  the  ofiice  of  president,  and  which  has  trained  many 
of  the  first  men  of  the  country,  is  to  be  found  in  Mr. 
Tennent's  seminary.  One  of  the  principal  objects  of 
them  both  was  to  fit  pious  young  men  for  the  sacred 
ministry,  by  imparting  a  sound  and  thorough  educa- 
tion. There  was  but  a  slight  interval  of  time  between 
the  close  of  the  one  and  the  commencement  of  the 
other,  and  they  were  both  conducted  by  men  of  a  simi- 
lar spirit  and  kindred  principles." 

Our  next  testimony  is  that  of  Dr.  Maclean  himself, 
who,  though  strongly  fixed  in  his  opposition  to  the  idea 
of  the  Log-College  origin  of  Nassau  Hall,  is  forced  by 
the  records  to  admit :  "  The  former  friends  of  the  Ne- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  127 

shaminy  school  became  the  earnest  and  devoted  friends 
of  the  College  of  New  Jersey." 

The  next  testimony  we  cite  is  of  exceedingly  great 
importance,  especially  as  it  comes  from  one  who  lived  at 
the  time  and  who  no  doubt  received  his  information  from 
the  very  men  engaged.  Dr.  Stearns,  in  his  history  of 
the  First  church  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  states  :  "  The 
Log  College  was  the  germ  of  the  College  of  New  Jer- 
sey, a7id  Whitejield  speaks  of  the  Neshaminy  school  as 
having  grown  into  a  large  college  now  erecting  in  the 
Jersey  s^ 

The  next  authority  we  present  consists  of  the  testi- 
mony of  two  venerable  men,  whose  words  must  carry 
full  conviction  with  them.  Dr.  Alexander  writes:  "A 
venerable  friend"  (the  Rev.  Matthew  Brown,  D.  D.), 
"  in  conversing  with  the  writer  on  the  subject  of  the 
Log  College,  observed  that  this  humble  institution  was 
not  only  the  germ  of  New  Jersey  College,  but  of  several 
other  colleges  which  have  been  useful  to  the  Church 
and  State  and  have  risen  to  high  estimation  in  the 
country ;  and  mentioned  Jefferson  College  "  (of  which 
he  was  the  president),  "  Hampden-Sidney  and  "Wash- 
ington College  in  Virginia,  all  of  which  were  founded 
and  taught  originally  by  students  from  Princeton. 
And  we  need  not  stop  here,  for  these  in  their  turn  gave 
rise  to  many  other  schools  and  colleges  where  the  same 
system  of  education  and  the  same  principles  of  religion 
are  adopted.  Thus  we  see  how  much  good  may  arise 
from  a  small  beginning.  As  the  stately  oak  originates 
in  a  small  acorn,  so  an  obscure  school  in  the  midst  of 
the  forest  becomes  a  nursery  from  which  proceed  not 
only  eminent  men,  but  other  and  higher  schools  of 
learning  by  which  our  country  is  enlightened  and 
adorned."     In  addition  to  this,  Dr.  Alexander's  coufi- 


128  PRESBYTEBY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

dent  belief  that  the  Log  College  was  the  germ  of  Nassau 
Hall  may  be  seen  in  that  he  devotes  a  whole  chapter  in 
his  work  on  the  I^og  College  to  the  substantiation  of 
that  fact. 

The  declarations  of  all  these,  and  of  all  other  writers 
capable  of  giving  an  opinion  that  we  have  read,  are 
unanimous,  and  are  surely  decisive  of  the  question — so 
completely  that  we  cannot  understand  why  it  should  be 
made  a  question  at  all. 

There  is,  as  we  have  already  said,  one  exception — 
namely,  the  Rev.  John  Maclean,  D.  D.  In  his  History 
of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  he  repeatedly  and  with 
great  emphasis  repudiates  the  thought  of  any  such 
relation  between  the  two  institutions.  The  one  fact 
which  he  gives  in  support  of  his  opinion  is  that  the 
elder  Tennent,  the  founder  of  the  Log  College,  was  un- 
friendly to  the  instituting  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey 
from  the  very  beginning.  But,  considering  the  cir- 
cumstances, was  that  to  be  wondered  at?  He  was  an 
old  man  when  the  subject  was  agitated.  He  died  the 
very  year  it  was  started.  Was  it  strange  that  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  and  enfeebled  by  sickness  he 
should  dislike  to  see  another  institution  arising  that 
would  supplant  his  own  ?  The  upbuilding  of  the  Log 
College  had  been  his  life-work,  and  one  of  the  noblest 
works  that  man  ever  accomplished  ;  and  now,  in  the 
feebleness  of  his  approaching  end,  was  it  natural  that 
Mr.  Tennent  should  look  kindly  upon  the  establish- 
ment of  another  college  that  would  take  the  place  of 
his  own  ?  And  yet  this  alleged  opposition  of  the  elder 
Tennent,  an  old  and  dying  man,  is  all  that  Dr.  Mac- 
lean urges  in  support  of  his  hostility  to  the  theory  that 
Princeton  College  had  its  germ  in  the  Log  College. 

On  the  other  side  we  have  the  unanimous  testimony 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  129 

of  all  Others  who  have  studied  the  subject  as  to  the  facts 
that  the  same  animating  idea  was  the  life  of  both  insti- 
tutions ;  that  the  same  system,  principles,  modes  of  edu- 
cation and  S])irit  reigned  in  both  ;  that  at  the  time  of 
the  comino;  of  I'rinceton  into  existence  the  Loir  Col- 
lege  with  its  affiliated  academies  began  to  pass  away ; 
that  the  two  institutions  were  placed  in  nearly  the 
same  locality ;  that  the  Log-College  men  wore  the  most 
efficient  workers  in  building  up  the  College  of  New 
Jersey  ;  and  that  the  discussions  of  that  day  concern- 
ing the  Log  College  were  the  moving  cause  which  led 
to  the  founding  of  Princeton.  From  all  this  it  is  clear 
that  the  question  is  answered,  and  answered  in  the 
affirmative — the  Log  College  was  the  germ  of  Princeton 
College.  Several  of  these  facts  are  of  themselves  suf- 
ficient to  make  out  the  case,  but  together  they  must 
satisfy  any  mind  and  put  the  case  beyond  all  contro- 
versy. Princeton  was  the  Log  College  enlarged,  ad- 
vanced in  its  course  of  study  and  made  to  cover  a 
wider  field  of  usefulness. 

"VVe  have  entered  so  fully  into  this  question  from  the 
conviction  that  the  cause  of  truth  and  justice  to  the  Log 
College  demanded  it,  and  we  have  felt  also  that  it  was 
necessary  to  explain  why  the  Log  College,  blessed  as  it 
was  in  such  a  wonderful  manner  and  pursuing  such 
a  wonderful  career  of  usefulness,  should  have  come  to 
such  a  sudden  halt  and  then  utterly  disappear.  In 
fact,  it  did  not  halt,  but  its  germ  went  out  into  another 
institution,  and  its  life  is  still  going  on  in  the  College 
of  New  Jersey,  which  in  our  day  is  one  of  the  grand- 
est of  the  fountains  of  blessing  that  are  enriching  our 
country. 

Moreover,  the  question  is  one  of  vital  importance  to 
Princeton  College  itself.     The  nature  and  history  of 

9 


130  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

the  Log  College  and  its  blooming  out  into  Princeton 
form  a  subject  of  much  greater  significance  to  the  latter 
institution  than  at  first  appears  or  than  has  ever  been 
considered.  There  are  vital  interests  of  Princeton  at 
stake,  and  to  which  its  friends  will  do  well  to  give  good 
heed.  Its  calling  as  well  as  its  true  interest  is  to  follow 
in  substantially  the  same  course  that  was  clearly  pointed 
out  by  the  providence  of  God  in  the  founding  of  that 
institution  from  which  it  sprang.  The  germ  of  the 
Log  College,  its  idea,  is  living  in  Princeton,  and, 
though  the  germ  was  at  first  very  small,  it  being  in 
that  like  all  other  germs,  mighty  possibilities  were  en- 
folded in  it.  Nor  are  these  vital  interests  confined  to 
Princeton  College  alone,  but  they  pertain  to  every 
other  Presbyterian  college  in  the  whole  land ;  for  there 
is  not  one  such  institution  in  the  bounds  of  the  Church 
but  has  been  more  or  less  modeled  after  Princeton, 
which,  with  the  Log  College,  is  the  oldest  of  them  all 
— not  one  of  them  but  patterns  more  or  less  after  that 
general  character  which  passed  from  the  Log  College 
into  Princeton,  and  thence  into  them  all.  As  Notting- 
ham and  Fagg's  Manor  and  Pequa  stood  related  to  the 
Log  College,  so  do  all  our  colleges,  on  a  far  wider 
scale,  stand  related  to  Princeton.  The  men  from 
Princeton  formed  the  first  of  them,  and  then  others, 
and  so  onward ;  even  though  the  children  sometimes 
became  greater  than  the  parent,  still  the  relation  was  the 
same  and  the  progress  went  on. 

Important  considerations  have  led  us  to  dwell  thus 
fully  on  this  subject.  We  have  done  so  because  we  be- 
lieve that  God  directed  his  servants  especially  in  the 
formation  of  that  institution  for  the  crisis  in  which  the 
foundations  of  our  Church  and  country  were  to  be  laid ; 
because  it  was  vitally  interwoven  with  all  the  great 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  131 

movements  of  our  early  history ;  because  it  had  a  very 
great  influence  in  forming  all  the  succeeding  character 
of  our  Church ;  because,  the  essential  principles  being 
still  the  same,  the  strictly  carrying  out  of  the  system 
and  spirit  of  the  Log  College  would  have  the  most  ben- 
eficial influence  upon  Princeton,  as  on  all  our  Presby- 
terian colleges  even  at  the  present  time  ;  because  these 
eminently  great  and  good  men  have  never  been  as  fully 
appreciated  as  their  wonderful  work  deserves  ;  because 
the  position,  work  and  relations  of  the  Log  College 
have  never  been  fully  delineated  in  order  to  the  full 
profiting  which  might  be  received  from  these  examples ; 
and  because  if  there  has  been  neglect  here,  it  is  chiefly 
to  be  laid  at  our  door  as  a  Presbytery,  since  the  insti- 
tution was  located  within  our  bounds  and  we  received 
its  first  benefits.  For  these  reasons  the  writer,  to  the 
best  of  his  ability,  has  endeavored  to  search  out  these 
things  and  then  "  to  set  them  in  order." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FORMATIVE  PERIOD  {Continued):    VISIT  OF  WHITEFIELD. 

"the  geeat  awakening." 

It  was  a  deeply  significant  fact,  and  one  for  which 
we  have  reason  for  much  thankfulness  to  the  great 
Head  of  the  Church,  that  if  not  the  very  infancy,  the 
early  youth,  of  our  Presbytery  was  spent  in  the  atmo- 
sphere of  one  of  the  greatest  revivals  by  which  the  world 
has  ever  been  blessed.  This  fact  must  be  appreciated 
if  we  would  either  understand  the  spirit  of  our  early 
history,  comprehend  many  of  the  subsequent  move- 
ments or  get  at  the  secret  of  the  long  life  and  prosperity 
of  our  old  churches.  At  the  beginning  the  Lord  sent 
down  a  special  baptism  of  his  Holy  Spirit  upon  our 
Presbytery,  and  hence  the  scriptural  faith,  the  per- 
manent life  and  the  steady,  healthy  growth  through  the 
ages,  notwithstanding  the  many  storms  and  adversities 
through  which  it  has  passed.  The  body  has  been  torn  by 
schisms  and  divisions ;  it  has  been  divided  and  subdi- 
vided ;  personal  animosities  have  threatened  it ;  blight- 
ing blasts  have  swept  over  it ;  desolating  wars,  "  with 
their  confused  noise  and  garments  rolled  in  blood," 
have  darkened  the  country's  prospects  ;  and  the  wear 
of  ages  has  done  its  worst ;  but  still  our  church-life  has 
moved  onward  and  upward,  widening,  deepening  and 
increasing  with  almost  even  progress  for  over  a  century 
and  a  half.  Much,  very  much,  of  this  wonderful  his- 
tory was,  without  a  question,  owing  to  that  deep  rooting 

132 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  133 

of  its  germs  under  the  gracious  showers  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

We  coukl  not,  therefore,  compreliend  our  liistory  with- 
out understanding  sometliing  of  "  the  Great  Awaken- 
ing "  in  the  midst  of  which  its  early  years  were  spent. 

It  is  almost  vain  for  us  to  attempt  to  seek  for  the 
origin  of  that  awakening.  It  seemed  to  be  an  outpour- 
ing of  the  Spirit  over  the  Christian  world.  Its  blessings 
were  vouchsafed  to  Scotland,  and  that  people,  already 
sound  in  the  faith  and  ready  for  the  life,  awoke  to  a 
power  and  an  activity  that  could  scarcely  be  realized. 
The  gracious  shower  descended  upon  Wales,  and  there, 
under  the  leadership  of  Howell  Harris  and  his  de- 
voted compeers,  was  begun  that  wonderful  work  which 
changed  the  whole  principality  from  a  condition  of 
the  most  wretched  ignorance  and  wickedness  into  one 
wherein  the  gospel  has  more  general  influence  than  in 
any  other  land.  It  fell  in  blessed  reviving  upon  Ire- 
land, and  there  the  veterans  of  the  truth  experienced 
a  new  life  and  power  in  that  faith  which  blessed  their 
own  souls  and  became  the  means  of  preparing  many  of 
the  sons  of  that  land  to  go  forth  as  standard-bearers  of 
the  gospel  even  to  this  country.  The  heavenly  bless- 
ings came  down  richly  upon  New  England,  and  who 
of  us  is  not  familiar  with  the  story  of  the  glorious  re- 
vival scenes  which  were  so  well  delineated  by  Edwards, 
and  in  which  he  was  such  a  mighty  instrument  by  the 
hand  of  God?  The  blessed  influence  was  felt  in  this 
very  region  where  our  Presbytery  is  located,  and  in  the 
men  of  the  Log  College.  God  had  the  truth  ready,  and 
the  agents  also  ready  to  receive  it  and  then  to  spread  it 
abroad  in  every  quarter.  It  descended  upon  England 
in  wonderful  power.  Lady  Huntingdon  became  the 
centre  around  which  many  of  its  most  important  move- 


134  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

ments  gathered,  and  from  which  blessed  influences  were 
diffused.  Hers  was  the  great  name  connected  with  its 
activity,  its  catholicity  and  its  devout  godliness.  That 
wonderful  man,  John  Wesley,  also  was  made  the  mov- 
ing power  of  a  work  which  accomplished  a  moral  revo- 
lution throughout  all  England. 

That  remarkable  religious  movement  called  "  the 
Great  Awakening  "  has  been  so  well  summed  up  by  Dr. 
Hatfield  that  we  quote  his  words :  "  A  period  of  great 
degeneracy,  profligacy  and  corruption  succeeded  the 
restoration  of  the  monarchy  in  England,  extending 
into  the  next  century.  At  length,  in  1730,  an  era  of 
spiritual  revival  was  ushered  in  under  the  preaching 
of  the  Wesleys,  Whitefield  and  a  host  of  like-minded 
men  of  God,  during  which  the  churches  of  England, 
Scotland  and  Ireland  were  visited  with  a  wonderful  re- 
freshing from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  The  wave  of 
divine  grace  extended  to  the  British  colonies  in  Amer- 
ica, where,  under  the  preaching  of  Edwards  and  Bel- 
lamy and  the  Tennents  and  others  of  kindred  spirit, 
the  churches  everywhere,  in  and  out  of  New  England, 
were  so  graciously  and  powerfully  revived  that  the 
period  has  ever  since  been  known  as  the  Great  Awa- 
kening, so  many  were  the  revivals  of  religion  among 
the  Christian  people  of  the  Western  World." 

Thus  far  in  our  account  of  this  great  reviving  season 
we  have  used  in  connection  therewith  the  names  of  the 
Tennents  in  this  region  of  the  country,  of  Edwards  in 
New  England,  of  Howell  Harris  in  Wales,  and  of  the 
countess  of  Huntingdon  in  England.  But  there  is  an- 
other name  more  influential  than  either  of  them  which 
we  have  not  yet  named,  because  it  was  that  of  a  man;, 
confined  to  no  land,  but  who  swept  over  them  all,  as  if 
bearing  an  angel's  commission  from  the  throne  of  God. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  135 

It  was  the  name  of  George  Whitefiekl,  He  was  the 
human  agent  for  connecting  together  and  binding  into 
one  and  keeping  in  harmony  the  blessed  movements  in 
the  various  regions  and  countries.  Passing  with  in- 
credible rapidity  from  place  to  place,  he  received  new 
impulses  and  imparted  new  ardor  to  each.  He  caught 
the  spirit  of  all  as  he  passed,  and  added  fresh  momen- 
tum to  each  revival  scene  wherever  he  was  providen- 
tially led,  and  thus  became  a  bond  of  union  throughout 
all  the  countries.  It  was  his  to  gather  up  and  then  to 
intensify  and  impart  the  revival  spirit. 

We  can  now  read  the  results  of  the  Great  Awakening 
in  the  light  of  history.  It  was  sent  to  counteract  the 
blighting  effects  of  the  skepticism  that  was  then  prev- 
alent— to  awaken  the  churches  from  the  torpor  which 
had  settled  down  upon  them — to  impart  life  where  there 
were  but  dead  forms  and  creeds — and  to  break  up  the 
sad  worldliness  that  was  paralyzing  all.  All  these  ends 
were  eft'ected  by  it.  New  and  blessed  life  was  imparted.  ■ 
The  Church  was  raised  to  a  higher  plane  of  truth  and 
love  and  active  zeal.  The  country  was  prepared  for 
the  better  performance  of  its  worldwide  mission  in  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

GEORGE   WHITEFIELD. 

The  history  of  this  Presbytery  can  never  be  fully 
written  without  at  least  some  knowledge  of  the  life  and 
work  of  George  Whitefield,  who  had  so  much  to  do 
with  imparting  some  of  its  first  and  best  influences. 
A  memoir  of  him  we  would  not  attempt,  but  a  few 
things  concerning  him  should  be  set  forth. 

His  grandfather  and  great-grandfather  were  both 
ministers  of  the  Established  Church  of  England.  Al- 
though his  father  was  the  keeper  of  a  public-house  in 


136  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Gloucester,  where  he  was  born  in  1714,  his  mother  was 
a  wise  and  pious  woman,  and  by  her  influence  no  doubt 
his  character  was  formed.  His  youth  was  somewhat 
wayward,  and  certainly  gave  no  promise  of  what  he 
was  to  become,  other  than  an  extraordinary  ability  in 
public  declamation.  Indeed,  it  was  to  him  a  source 
of  much  after-grief  that  for  years  he  indulged  in  many 
youthful  follies. 

In  due  time,  however,  after  the  necessary  prepar- 
atory studies,  he  entered  the  University  of  Oxford,  and 
from  that  time  forward  he  became  a  new  man.  Under 
the  guidance  of  God's  good  providence  he  was  led  to 
associate  with  some  of  the  members  of,  and  then  to 
connect  himself  with,  what  was  in  ridicule  called  the 
Holy  Club.  He  was  the  very  first  of  that  celebrated 
band  of  students  who  experienced  sincere  conversion. 
Then  as  one  of  the  world-renowned  company  of  the 
"Oxford  Methodists,"  of  which  the  Wesleys  were 
conspicuous  members,  he  became  most  strict  in  the 
observance  of  all  its  rules  for  the  cultivation  of  per- 
sonal holiness. 

He  finished  his  university  course,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three  was  ordained  in  the  Episcopal  Church. 
At  once  his  earnest  piety,  his  zeal  and  his  wonderful 
eloquence  burst  forth  to  the  amazement  of  all.  Much 
of  his  time  was  then  given,  in  connection  with  the 
Moravians  and  certain  other  benevolent  societies,  to  the 
visiting  of  prisoners  and  preaching  to  the  poor  and 
suffering.  His  preaching  electrified  the  whole  com- 
munity. During  the  first  year  of  his  ministry  nine 
or  ten  of  his  sermons  were  published,  which  are  still 
read. 

But  persecution  soon  arose  against  him,  and  that 
chiefly  in  the  Church  with  which  he  was  connected. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  137 

He  was  regarded  as  wild  and  fanatical.  By  the  per- 
suasion of  his  dear  bosom  friend,  John  Wesley,  he  was 
induced  to  cross  the  Atlantic,  visit  Georgia  in  America 
and  there  preach  the  glorious  gospel.  But  his  perse- 
cutors sent  hostile  reports  before  him,  and  most  of  the 
puli)its  of  the  Established  Church  were  closed  against 
him.  Soon  he  returned,  but  again  found  that  scarce 
any  church  would  admit  him  to  proclaim  in  it  his 
beloved  story  of  the  cross. 

He  left  London  and  went  to  Bristol,  but  still  could 
find  no  pulpit  that  would  open  to  him.  This  became 
the  crisis  of  his  work  and  his  fame.  He  would  preach 
the  gospel,  and,  every  church  being  closed  against  him, 
he  took  to  the  open  air,  and  at  once  he  had  thousands 
of  half-wild  colliers  as  his  hearers.  A  new  era  opened 
before  him  and  before  the  Wesleys.  He  was  the  first, 
and  was  driven  to  it  by  persecution,  to  engage  in  open- 
air  jireaching.  He  led  the  way;  John  and  Charles  Wes- 
ley followed  him.  AVhitefield's  popularity  as  a  preacher 
became  absolutely  unbounded.  Scarcely  an  open  field 
or  meadow  could  be  found  that  was  wide  enough  to 
contain  the  vast  multitudes  that  came  from  every 
quarter  to  hear  him.  On  one  occasion,  at  a  place 
called  Rose  Green,  there  was  an  audience  of  over 
twenty  thousand. 

He  was  now  one  of  the  most  effective  preachers  that 
the  world  had  ever  seen,  and  continued  so  as  long  as 
he  lived.  But  we  can  follow  his  work  in  detail  no 
farther,  and  must  confine  ourselves  to  only  some  of  its 
leading  points  and  characteristics.  After  a  while  he 
made  his  second  visit  to  this  country,  and  reached  New 
England  at  a  time  when  there  was  a  little  waning  in 
the  great  revival  of  which  Edwards  was  the  central 
figure.     Edwards's  description  of  his  coming  \\'\\\  tell 


138  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

its  own  story:  "On  his  second  visit  to  the  colonies 
some  of  the  Episcopal  churches  refused  him  their  pul- 
pits, but  other  churches  were  all  open  to  him.  He 
preached  in  Philadelphia  and  New  York  and  on  his 
way  to  Georgia,  drawing  delighted  multitudes  every- 
where. Visiting  New  England,  the  revival  which  had 
begun  in  Northampton  in  1736  broke  out  again,  and 
perhaps  Boston  never  saw  a  greater  awakening.  He 
paid  several  visits  to  America ;  and  the  results  of  his 
evangelistic  tours  were  shared  by  the  Congregational, 
the  Presbyterian  and  the  Baptist  churches  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  Georgia." 

Mr.  Whitefield  had  wonderful  powers  of  eloquence,  but 
the  real  secret  of  its  overwhelming  effects  was  his  deep, 
ardent  piety,  which  absorbed  and  inflamed  his  whole 
soul.  He  had  such  love  to  God  that  when  he  touched 
on  the  divine  glory  he  was  himself  swept  away  as  by  a 
whirlwind.  He  felt  such  deep  compassion  for  the  lost 
souls  of  men  that  he  could  cry  to  them  out  of  the 
anguish  of  his  heart.  The  affection  of  his  soul  toward 
his  fellow-Christians  of  any  name  was  strong  as  death. 
For  instance,  he  could  not  bear  that  there  should  be  an 
evil  word  or  an  evil  thought  against  that  dearest  of  his 
friends,  John  Wesley,  and  he  trembled  when  he  knew 
that  that  beloved  man  was  about  to  publish  his  sermon 
against  the  doctrine  of  Predestination.  He  wrote  to 
him ;  he  begged  him  to  desist.  With  very  anguish  of 
soul  he  tried  to  dissuade  him.  He  appealed, "  For  God's 
sake,  reflect!  It  will  make  you  enemies.  It  will  cur- 
tail your  usefulness.  It  will  alienate  good  men  from 
you.  It  will  do  no  good.  It  can  but  make  the  contro- 
versy more  bitter."  Thus  with  scalding  tears  he  pleaded 
with  him. 

From  this  deep  piety  arose  that  vehement  zeal  that  was 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  139 

absolutely  amazing.  It  left  him  no  time  or  heart  for 
controversy.  He  made  no  attempt  to  organize  churches. 
He  could  not  rest,  Sabbath-day  or  week-day.  His  ser- 
vices were  equally  ready  for  any  denomination,  at  any 
time,  at  any  place.  Desire  for  the  glory  of  God,  the 
salvation  of  men,  the  edification  of  believers  as  an  irre- 
sistible torrent  swept  him  onward  and  onward,  and 
strained  his  every  power  to  its  utmost  possible  tension. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  that  he  was  indifferent  to 
doctrines  or  that  he  had  no  decided  creed.  On  the 
contrary,  he  was  a  decided  Calvinist.  This  was  the 
more  significant  considering  that  his  earliest  and  warm- 
est associates  and  friends  were  the  Wesleys  and  others 
of  the  Oxford  Methodists,  who  were  generally  Armin- 
ians.  But  his  own  studies  and  convictions  had  led  him 
to  adopt  the  opposite  system.  His  Calvinistic  views  be- 
came clearer  and  stronger  from  his  visits  to  Edwards, 
the  Tennents  and  others  in  this  country.  The  ecclesias- 
tical position  which  was  assigned  him  by  general  consent 
was  that  of  leader  among  the  Calvinistic  Methodists  of 
Great  Britain,  including  Lady  Huntingdon  and  others 
of  kindred  spirit,  now  chiefly  known  as  the  Welsh  body 
of  that  name. 

For  the  sublime  mission  of  acting  as  God's  instrument 
in  awakening  the  Christian  world  to  a  new  and  deeper  in- 
terest in  the  cause  of  Christ,  it  is  very  striking  how  many 
of  the  requisite  qualifications  were  bestowe^l  upon  White- 
field,  as  if  God  had  prepared  him  for  that  very  work. 
He  was  sound  and  intelligent  in  the  faith,  so  that  the 
truth,  and  the  truth  alone,  dropped  from  his  lips;  he 
had  the  spirit  and  zeal  of  Wesley,  and  was  able  to 
arouse  the  sleeping  churches;  he  had  a  burning  elo- 
quence, so  that  men  would  listen  to  him,  become  im- 
pressed, and  would  heed  his  glowing  appeals ;  and  lie 


140  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

had  a  zeal  and  industry  that  never  tired,  but  impelled 
him  on  and  on  over  lands  and  nations. 

His  i^owers  of  eloquence  were  perfectly  overwhelming, 
as  the  following  extracts  will  illustrate :  "  In  person 
Whitefield,  as  described  by  Dr.  Gillies  of  Scotland,  was 
graceful,  well-proportioned,  above  the  middle  size  in 
stature.  His  eyes  were  dark  blue,  small  and  sprightly. 
His  complexion  was  fair,  his  countenance  manly.  Both 
his  face  and  his  voice  were  softened  with  an  uncommon 
degree  of  sweetness,  and  he  was  neat,  easy  in  deport- 
ment and  without  aifectation.  He  had  a  strong,  musical 
voice,  under  wonderful  command.  Twenty  thousand 
people  could  hear  him.  '  Every  accent  of  his  voice 
spoke  to  the  ear ;  every  feature  of  his  face  and  every 
motion  of  his  hand  spoke  to  the  eye.'  His  preaching 
melted  Jonathan  Edwards  to  tears.  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin went  to  hear  him  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  com- 
pletely won.  He  perceived,  he  wrote,  that  Whitefield 
would  finish  with  a  collection,  and  although  he  had  gold, 
silver  and  copper  in  his  pocket,  he  resolved  to  give 
nothing.  But  as  the  preacher  proceeded,  'I  began  to 
soften,  and  concluded  to  give  the  copper.  Another 
stroke  of  his  oratory  determined  me  to  give  the  silver, 
and  he  finished  so  admirably  that  I  emptied  my  pocket 
wholly  into  the  collector's  dish — gold  and  all.'  White- 
field  was  once  asked  for  a  copy  of  a  sermon  to  publish. 
*  I  have  no  objection,'  said  he,  '  if  you  will  print  the 
lightning,  thunder  and  rainbow  with  it.' 

"The  Franklin  incident  exhibits  his  great  persuasive 
powers.  A  scene  described  by  Dr.  James  Hamilton 
shows  how  vivid  were  some  of  his  pictures.  Lord  Ches- 
terfield was  listening  while  the  orator  described  the  sinner 
as  a  blind  beggar  led  by  a  dog.  The  dog  leaving  him, 
he  was  forced  to  grope  his  way,  guided  only  by  his  staff. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD,  141 

'Unconsciously  lie  wanders  to  the  edge  of  a  precipice; 
his  staff  drops  from  his  hand  down  the  abyss,  too  far  to 
send  back  an  echo;  he  reaches  forward  cautiously  to 
recover  it ;  for  a  moment,  he  poises  on  vacancy,  and  ' — 
'Good  God!'  shouted  Chesterfield,  'he  is  gone!'  as  he 
sprung  from  his  seat  to  prevent  the  catastrophe." 

Opposition  or  persecution  had  no  power  to  restrain 
him.  Says  Tyerman  in  his  history  of  the  Wesleys : 
"  In  a  certain  place  of  England  the  town-crier  was  em- 
ployed to  give  notice  of  a  bear-baiting,  it  being  under- 
stood that  Whitefield  was  the  bear;  and  accordingly 
when  he  began  to  preach  a  tnob  surrounded  him  and  a 
row  ensued.  In  Cumberland  his  enemies  injured  his 
chaise  and  cut  off  the  tails  of  his  horses.  At  Ulverstone 
a  clergyman  charged  a  constable  to  arrest  him.  But 
none  of  these  things  checked  his  triumphal  march. 
People  by  thousands  flocked  to  hear  him.  At  a  single 
sacramental  service  a  church  at  Haworth  was  thrice 
filled  with  communicants.  From  his  leaving  London 
to  his  reaching  Edinburgh  he  preached  nineiy  times  to 
about  a  hundred  and  forty  thousand  people."  At  Lady 
Huntingdon's  he  seemed  to  think  himself  at  the  gates 
of  Paradise.  He  writes:  "  For  a  day  or  two  Her  Lady- 
ship has  had  five  clergymen  under  her  roof.  Her  home 
is  a  Bethel  indeed.  To  us  in  the  ministry  it  looks  like 
a  college.  We  have  the  sacrament  every  morning,  heav- 
enly conversation  all  day  and  preach  at  night.  This  is 
to  live  at  court  indeed." 

In  spite  of  all  that  the  enemy  could  do  to  hinder 
him,  his  popularity  was  wonderful  and  the  audiences 
that  gathered  to  hear  him  were  immense.  Wherever  he 
went  his  presence  was  the  signal  for  enthusiasm.  This 
is  admirably  described  by  the  Rev.  R.  ^I.  Patterson, 
D.  D.,  in  the  Tercentenary  Book :   "  His  progress  in 


142  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

the  colonies  was  a  triumplial  march.  Processions  of 
horsemen  escorted  him.  Judges  suspended  their  courts 
when  he  preached.  Immense  crowds  in  churches  and  in 
fields  hung  upon  his  lips.  Dr.  Stevens  in  his  History  of 
Methodism  calls  him  '  the  greatest  preacher,  it  is  prob- 
able, in  popular  eloquence  of  all  the  Christian  ages.' 
He  was  in  this  city"  (Philadelphia)  "on  his  first  visit 
less  than  a  month,  but  he  shook  it  to  its  foundations  and 
agitated  the  surrounding  country.  The  population  of  this 
city  was  less  than  fifteen  thousand.  Congregations  of  ten 
thousand,  of  course  drawn  from  the  country  as  well  as  from 
the  city,  gathered  around  the  preacher  on  '  Society  Hill.' 
It  is  Benjamin  Franklin's  testimony  that  '  from  being 
thoughtless  or  indifferent  about  religion  it  seemed  as  if 
all  the  world' were  growing  religious,  so  that  one  could 
not  walk  through  the  streets  of  an  evening  without  hear- 
ing psalms  sung  in  different  families  in  every  street.' 
No  books  were  sold  but  the  religious,  and  such  was  the 
general  conversation.  Dancing-schools  were  discontin- 
ued, balls  and  concerts  were  given  up.  For  a  year  after 
there  continued  to  be  a  daily  public  religious  service 
and  three  services  on  the  Sabbath.  Twenty-six  asso- 
ciations for  prayer  were  formed. 

"  The  moral  and  religious  improvement  which  ac- 
companied Whitefield  was  admitted,  but  the  Latitudi- 
narians  of  the  day  censured  him  for  his  afiinity  with 
'  the  hot-headed  Predestinarians.'  Kalm,  a  contemporary 
Swedish  traveler,  says  that  the  genuine  Calvinism  of 
Whitefield  and  Tennent,  and  their  ardent  zeal  for  vital, 
practical  godliness,  was  called  '  New  Light.'  The  de- 
cided Calvinism  of  the  flying  evangelist  brought  him 
into  fervent  sympathy  with  the  Presbyterians,  who  had 
already  been  quickened,  and  they  were  further  quick- 
ened through  him.     Kalm  said  in  1751,  '  The  prose- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  143 

lytes  of  this  man,  or  the  "  New  Lights,"  are  at  present 
merely  a  sect  of  Presbyterians.' " 

His  activity  was  such  that  we  can  but  wonder  how 
any  man  could  endure  it.  "  Though  he  was  married 
in  1741,  he  never  saw  much  of  home-life.  His  activi- 
ties were  incessant,  all-absorbing.  He  never  spared 
himself,  preaching  every  day  in  the  week,  and  often 
three  or  four  times  a  day.  His  last  sermon  was 
preached  the  day  before  his  death.  He  visited  Wales 
again  and  again,  and  gave  an  impulse  to  the  revival 
movement  already  begun  by  Howell  Harris.  He  vis- 
ited Scotland  and  great  results  followed.  He  traveled 
through  England  in  every  quarter,  attracting  extraor- 
dinary attention  wherever  he  went.  As  we  have  al- 
ready said,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  Ocean  thirteen  times 
on  the  seven  visits  which  he  made  to  this  country.  He 
flew  from  place  to  place,  from  land  to  land,  as  if  he 
could  not  rest  while  there  was  one  human  being  any- 
where who  had  not  heard  the  story  of  the  cross. 

It  would  seem  as  if  he  could  not  even  take  time  to 
die.  The  last  sermon  on  the  last  whole  day  he  ever 
lived  was  preached  in  Exeter,  Massachusetts.  He  was 
ill,  and  a  friend  remarked  that  he  was  more  fit  to  go  to 
bed  than  to  preach.  "  Yes,"  said  he ;  then  pausing  he 
added,  "  Lord  Jesus,  I  am  weary  in  thy  work,  but  not 
of  it."  An  immense  audience  gathered  to  hear  him. 
At  first  he  labored,  but  soon  all  his  faculties  responded 
for  a  last  great  effort,  and  he  held  the  multitude  spell- 
bound for  two  hours.  He  proceeded  to  Newbury  port 
the  same  day.  In  the  evening,  as  he  took  his  candle 
to  go  to  bed,  many  who  were  gathered  in  the  hall 
tempted  him  to  an  exhortation,  which  he  continued 
till  the  candle  burned  out  in  the  socket.  The  next 
morning,  September  30,  1770,  he  was  dead. 


144  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

We  are  well  aware  that,  so  very  bigh  is  our  appre- 
ciation of  this  wonderful  man,  and  of  the  grand  mission 
for  which  God  raised  him  up,  we  are  in  danger  of 
exaggeration  in  our  language  concerning  him,  and  so, 
though  exaggeration  in  the  case  is  scarcely  possible,  we 
will  use  the  language  of  two  other  writers,  neither  of 
whom  held  with  the  creed  of  Whitefield.  One  extract 
is  from  the  pen  of  Tyerman,the  eminent  historian  of  the 
Wesleys  and  their  times.  He  says  of  him :  "  Whitefield 
was  nominally  the  leader  of  the  Calvinistic  Methodists, 
but  he  left  to  others  the  work  of  organization.  The  re- 
sult, however,  of  his  embracing  Calvinism  was  a  wide 
field  of  usefulness  which,  without  it,  neither  he  nor 
Wesley  could  have  occupied.  At  the  same  time,  his 
services  to  Methodism  were  greater  than  Methodists 
have  ever  yet  acknowledged,  and  it  is  impossible  to 
estimate  the  value  of  the  work  he  and  his  female  prel- 
ate, the  grand,  stately,  strong-minded,  godly  and  self- 
sacrificing  countess  of  Huntingdon,  performed  for  the 
Church  of  England.  In  a  true  cosmopolitan  spirit 
he  divided  his  time  between  Great  Britain  and  Amer- 
ica ;  with  a  catholicity  as  broad  as  the  gospel  he  gave 
his  wonderful  labors  to  all  denominations." 

As  is  meet,  we  finish  our  imperfect  sketch  with  the 
tender  words  of  the  other  witness,  his  lifelong  friend 
and  co-worker,  John  Wesley.  In  a  sermon  preached 
after  Whitefield's  death,  Mr.  Wesley  spoke  of  his 
"  unparalleled  zeal,"  "  indefatigable  activity,"  "  tender- 
heartedness," "  charitableness  toward  the  poor,"  "  his 
deep  gratitude,"  "  tender  friendship  "  (which  he  him- 
self had  tested),  his  "frankness  and  openness,"  "cour- 
age and  intrepidity,"  "great  plainness  of  speech," 
"  steadiness,"  "  integrity."  "  Have  we,"  said  Wesley, 
"  read  or  heard  of  any  person  since  the  apostles  who 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  145 

testified  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  through  so 
widely  extended  a  space,  through  so  large  a  part  of 
the  world  ?  Have  we  heard  or  read  of  any  person 
who  called  so  many  thousands,  so  many  myriads,  of 
sinners  to  repentance?" 

whitefield's  visits  in  this  region. 

Twice  during  the  course  of  his  wonderfully  brilliant 
career  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  did  Mr.  Whitefield  visit 
this  region  of  country,  and  he  left  an  impress  that  can 
never  be  effaced.  Under  the  extraordinary  attendant 
circumstances,  these  visits  to  the  Log  College  and  the 
field  of  the  old  Nesharainy  church  formed  an  epoch  in 
our  history  which  we  must  put  on  record  to  the  glory 
of  the  grace  of  God. 

The  great  evangelist  was  preaching  in  Philadelphia ; 
thousands  upon  thousands  were  crowding  to  receive  the 
words  which  dropped  from  his  lips;  the  community 
was  startled  from  its  spiritual  slumber ;  religion  was 
the  one  theme  that  was  agitating  the  whole  of  society. 
Old  Mr.  Tennent  was  twenty  miles  away  in  what  was 
almost  a  forest  still,  busy  with  the  daily  duties  of  teach- 
ing his  boys  in  the  Log  College.  Still,  he  was  well 
informed  concerning  the  wonderful  preacher  lately 
arrived  from  England,  and  heartily  did  he  sympathize 
with  him  in  his  earnest  gospel  work.  And  now  that 
he  is  so  near  he  must  go  and  see  him  and  hear  him, 
and  imbibe  that  flaming  gospel  spirit  that  is  stirring 
the  whole  Christian  world. 

Taking  two  kindred  spirits  with  him,  he  sets  out  on 
the  journey  of  twenty  miles  through  the  forests,  most 
likely  on  horseback,  but  possibly  on  foot.  They  reach 
the  city,  find  out  the  place  where  the  man  of  God  is 
sojourning,  and  hasten  thither.     Rustic,  old,  not  very 

10 


146  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

attractive  in  appearance,  but  most  deeply  in  earnest  and 
bearing  with  him  momentous  interests  both  for  that  and 
subsequent  ages,  he  arrives  at  what  was  the  home  of 
Whitefield  for  the  time  being. 

But  that  memorable  interview,  fraught  with  such  sol- 
emn interests,  we  must  relate  in  Whitefield's  own  words, 
which  his  journal,  happily,  has  preserved  to  us.  He 
says :  "  On  my  return  home  from  a  visit  to  a  friend  I 
was  much  comforted  by  the  coming  of  one  Mr.  Tennent, 
an  old  gray-headed  disciple  and  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ. 
He  keeps  an  academy  about  twenty  miles  from  Phila- 
delphia, and  has  been  blessed  with  four  gracious  sons, 
three  of  which  have  been,  and  still  continue  to  be,  emi- 
nently useful  in  the  Church  of  God.  He  brought  two 
pious  souls  along  with  him,  and  rejoiced  me  by  letting 
me  know  how  they  had  been  spoken  evil  of  for  their 
Master's  sake.  He  is  a  great  friend  of  Mr.  Erskine  of 
Scotland." 

Soon  after  this  visit  of  Mr.  Tennent,  no  doubt  accord- 
ing to  agreement  at  that  time,  Mr.  Whitefield  in  return 
visited  his  friend  at  his  home  on  the  Neshaminy.  Very 
fortunately,  we  have  also  an  account  of  this  trip  to  the 
Log  College  in  Whitefield's  own  words :  "  November 
22,  1739,  I  set  out  for  Neshaminy,  twenty  miles  dis- 
tant from  Trent  Town,  where  old  Mr.  Tennent  lives, 
and  where  I  was  to  preach  to-day,  according  to  appoint- 
ment. About  twelve  o'clock  we  came  thither,  and  found 
about  three  thousand  people  gathered  together  in  the 
meeting-house  yard.  Mr.  William  Tennent,  Jr.,  an 
eminent  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  because  we  stayed 
beyond  the  time  appointed,  was  preaching  to  them. 
When  I  came  up,  he  soon  stopt,  sung  a  psalm,  and  then 
I  began  to  speak  as  the  Lord  gave  me  utterance.  At 
first  the  people  seemed  unaffected,  but  in  the  midst  of 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  147 

my  discourse  the  power  of  the  Lord  Jesus  came  upon  me, 
and  I  felt  such  a  struggling  within  myself  for  the  people 
as  I  scarce  ever  felt  before.  The  hearers  began  to  be 
melted  down  immediately,  and  to  cry  much,  and  we  had 
good  reason  to  hope  the  Lord  intended  good  for  many. 

"After  I  had  finished  Mr,  Gilbert  Tennent  gave  a 
word  of  exhortation  to  confirm  what  had  been  delivered. 
At  the  end  of  his  discourse  we  sung  a  psalm,  and  dis- 
missed the  people  with  a  blessing.  Oh,  that  the  people 
may  say  Amen  to  it ! 

"  After  the  exercises  were  over  we  went  to  old  Mr. 
Tennent's,  who  entertained  us  like  one  of  the  ancient 
patriarchs.  His  wife  to  me  seemed  like  Elizabeth,  and 
he  like  Zachary  ;  both,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  walk  in  all 
the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord,  blame- 
less. Though  God  was  pleased  to  humble  my  soul,  so 
that  I  was  obliged  to  retire  for  a  while,  yet  we  had  sweet 
communion  with  each  other,  and  spent  the  evening  in 
ascertaining  what  measures  had  best  be  taken  for  pro- 
moting our  dear  Lord's  kingdom.  It  happened  very 
providentially  that  Mr.  Tennent  and  his  brethren  are 
appointed  to  be  a  Presbytery  by  the  Synod,  so  that  they 
intend  bringing  up  gracious  youths  and  sending  them 
out  from  time  to  time  into  the  Lord's  vineyard.  The 
place  where  the  young  men  study  now  is,  in  contempt, 
called  'the  college.'  Friday,  November  23,  parted  from 
dear  Mr.  Tennent,  and  his  other  worthy  fellow-laborers, 
but  promised  to  remember  each  other  publicly  in  our 
prayers." 

Mr.  Whitefield  made  this  visit  to  Mr.  Tennent  on  his 
way  to  New  York,  and  after  spending  a  short  time  in 
that  city  he  returned  again,  and  then  enjoyed  several 
days  with  his  friends  at  the  college.  It  is  not  difficult 
to  imagine  how  blessed  those  days  must  have  been. 


, 


148  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

They  gave  him  a  short  period  of  rest  from  his  labors. 
It  was  a  season  of  the  refreshment  of  love  among  friends 
of  kindred  spirit — friends  who  entered  into  full  sym- 
pathy with  him  in  his  glorious  mission.  How  exhilar- 
ating for  them  to  hear  from  him  of  the  blessed  scenes 
through  which  he  had  passed  and  of  the  quickening  in 
the  kingdom  of  God  throughout  the  world !  Moreover, 
how  profitable  to  him  to  mingle  in  soul  with  these 
simple,  earnest,  God-fearing  people,  and  to  learn  from 
them  of  the  depths  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  which  their 
studies  had  made  them  even  more  skilled  than  he  was ! 
How  many  and  warm  their  prayers  must  have  been! 
How  earnest  their  consultations  about  the  work  of  the 
kingdom,  which  had  been  at  that  time  so  largely  com- 
mitted to  the  trust  of  that  little  company !  It  is  more 
than  probable  that  no  period  in  the  lives  of  either  of 
these  men  had  more  eJBPects  than  did  that  one. 

There  were  other  events  connected  with  that  visit  of 
Whitefield  which  must  have  been  most  astonishing.  He 
preached  in  the  adjacent  regions  of  country,  and  his  ser- 
mons must  have  been  overwhelming  in  effect  beyond 
what  we  can  now  imagine.  One  instance  will  illustrate 
this.  He  addressed  immense  gatherings  in  the  neigh- 
boring province  of  New  Jersey  in  the  vicinity  of  Pen- 
nington, and  his  words  were  such  as  to  impress  the 
thousands  in  a  manner  of  which  we  can  scarcely  con- 
ceive. Well-established  tradition  describes  scenes  in" 
wdiich  the  audience  as  they  separated  would  kneel  down 
along  the  fences  in  little  groups  and  agonize  with  God 
in  prayer  that  he  would  save  them  from  the  wrath  to 
come.  If  we  compel  our  minds  to  dwell  on  such  scenes, 
and  conceive  of  the  intense  anxiety  which  forced  them 
to  such  public  manifestation  of  concern,  in  spite  of  in- 
convenience, ridicule  and  opposition,  we  must  see  that 


FOBMATIVE  rERIOD.  149 

the  power  of  God's  Spirit  was  with  him,  and  that  in  a 
wonderful  manner. 

EFFECTS    OF    WHITEFIELD's    VISIT. 

We  have  dwelt  so  fully  upon  these  visits  of  Whitefield 
to  the  Log  College  and  his  preaching  in  that  neighbor- 
hood because  they  had  most  important  effects  in  the 
history  of  our  Presbytery  and  of  our  whole  Church,  and 
were  followed  by  consequences  of  unspeakable  import- 
ance. In  fact,  the  spirit  of  our  early  history,  or  even 
the  peculiar  character  of  our  church-life,  could  not  be 
fully  understood  without  knowledge  of  them.  We  will 
do  well  to  study  them  thoroughly.  If  their  spirit  be 
revived,  the  result  would  be  glorious  even  now.  That 
they  formed  a  most  important  epoch  is  evident.  Far, 
far,  bevond  what  such  a  small  occurrence  mis-ht  have 
been  expected  to  effect  was  the  influence  of  that  gracious 
providence.  The  event  was  insigniticant  in  the  eyes  of 
man,  but  the  results  were  glorious  at  that  time,  and 
its  influence  has  been  extending  ever  since. 

To  understand  its  importance  we  must  not  only  con- 
sider that  wonderful  man  as  a  special  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  God  at  that  time,  but  we  must  also  look  atten- 
tively at  these  men  to  whom  he  was  sent  on  his  mission. 
Mr.  Tennent,  the  youth  connected  with  the  school  and 
the  people  of  the  surrounding  country  were  peculiarly 
prepared  for  the  message  which  he  brought  them  from 
God.  They  were  educated  men  ;  their  deep  interest  did- 
not  arise  from  ignorance  or  superstition.  They  were 
prepared  to  judge  of  the  message  by  the  word  of  God, 
and  then  receive  it.  Already  were  they  mighty  in  the 
Scriptures,  loving  them  and  ready  to  receive  them  in 
their  power.  They  were  thoroughly  orthodox  in  faith, 
and  so  were  ready  to  receive  light  on  the  truth.     More- 


150  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

over,  they  were  at  that  very  time  rejoicing  in  revival 
and  were  quickened  in  the  life  of  Christ  and  his  gospel. 
They  believed  in  refreshings  from  on  high,  felt  some  of 
them  in  their  own  souls,  and  were  ready  for  still  more. 
They  were,  in  fact,  awaiting  the  downpouring  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  in  refreshing  showers. 

Such  subjects  for  the  specially  reviving  influences  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  could  scarcely  be  found  in  any  other 
quarter.  The  old  patriarch,  Mr.  Tennent,  warm  of 
heart  and  longing  for  the  conversion  of  the  multi- 
tude, skilled  in  the  word  of  God,  conscientious  in 
heart;  those  ardent  and  educated  young  men,  with 
souls  keenly  awake  with  aspirations  for  the  glory  of 
God ;  the  surrounding  population,  of  sound  common 
sense,  versed  in  the  Bible  and  Catechism  and  loving 
the  Church  of  their  fathers, — these  were  the  people 
who  were  waiting  for  God  and  ready  for  the  message 
he  had  now  sent  them.  It  was  a  community  that  in 
religious  knowledge  and  principles  and  hopes  was  far 
beyond  an  ordinary  one,  and  that  might  be  expected  to 
extend  the  influences  brought  them  by  the  great  evan- 
gelist with  all  readiness  of  mind. 

To  that  community,  so  prepared,  did  this  chosen  serv- 
ant of  God  come  that  they  might  be  awakened  by  their 
Lord  to  the  great  mission  which  he  had  ready  for  them 
in  the  Church  and  the  country.  He  came  in  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  burning  eloquence,  and 
what  could  resist  him  ?  By  the  leading  of  an  all-wise  and 
all-mighty  Providence  he  applied  the  torch  to  the  ma- 
terial already  prepared,  and  then  there  could  but  follow 
a  heavenly  flame.  These  bright  and  cultured  souls 
were  stirred  to  their  very  depths,  and  blessings  untold 
were  involved  therein.  They  awoke  to  a  life  not  new 
in  kind,  but  new  in  degree,  and  in  all  truth  and  sober- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  151 

ness  a  new  prospect  opened  before  our  Church  and 
country. 

We  might  be  staggered  at  the  thought  that  White- 
field's  visits  were  so  very  brief,  and  that  assuredly  the 
effects  could  not  have  been  very  lasting  in  their  influ- 
ence. But  it  did  not  require  a  long  time  to  inflame 
with  a  holy  zeal  that  material  which  God  had  so  well 
prepared.  It  was  like  the  prepared  plate  of  the  pho- 
tograph, which  has  to  be  but  touched  by  the  sun's 
light  and  the  impression  is  fixed  for  all  time.  Or, 
rather,  it  was  like  the  blessed  instant  of  conversion 
when  the  soul  is  touched  by  the  regenerating  Spirit, 
and  passes  from  death  into  life  eternal.  Or,  again,  it 
was  like  that  future  time  predicted  by  prophecy  when 
nations  shall  be  born  in  a  day.  In  a  single  moment,  as 
it  were,  did  that  new  life  spring  up,  and  it  was  for  ever- 
more. 

The  transforming  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  accom- 
panying the  words  of  the  almost  inspired  man  of  God, 
aroused  tbe  patriarch  of  the  college  to  make  his  school 
a  new  fountain  of  light  and  truth  and  zeal ;  it  touched 
the  young  men,  and  they  consecrated  themselves  to  a 
more  earnest  life  of  toil  for  the  glory  of  Christ  in 
building  up  his  kingdom ;  it  touched  those  already 
well-grounded  neighbors,  and  still  deeper  foundations 
were  laid  for  that  Christian  stability  which  for  so  many 
generations  has  preserved  our  Presbytery.  That  pecu- 
liar company  in  the  Log  College  had  but  to  be  animated 
with  the  new  zeal,  and  they  then  went  out  to  the  conse- 
cration of  many  another  spot  which  afterward  became 
a  new  fountain  of  piety  as  well  as  of  learning. 

By  that  new  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  accompany- 
ing the  message  of  his  servant  the  Log  College  soon 
became  a  great  centre  of  religious  activity,  of  revived 


152  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO  COLLEGE. 

Christian  life  and  of  piety  as  well  as  of  learning.  A 
most  gracious  work  prevailed  in  it,  and  sent  out  from  it 
a  power  to  pervade  not  only  that  particular  region,  but 
also  the  whole  Church  and  land.  The  great  revival 
influences  which  were  then  prevailing  throughout  so 
much  of  the  Church  in  this  country  did  henceforth 
have  this  as  one  of  its  chief  strongholds. 

There  was  one  feature  of  this  extensive  work  of 
grace  under  the  preaching  of  Whitefield  in  this  region 
which  is  worthy  of  very  special  attention.  He  had 
come  directly  out  of  the  midst  of  the  most  wonderful 
movement  of  the  kingdom  in  modern  times — namely, 
that  movement  which,  commencing  with  those  earnest 
young  men,  "the  Oxford  Methodists,"  became  stronger 
and  deeper  and  more  widely  extended  until  it  eventual 
ted  in  the  great  Methodist  Church  of  the  present  day. 
He  had  come  out  of  the  heart  of  the  most  stirring  scenes 
of  that  work.  He  had  been  one  of  the  most  devoted  of 
those  young  men — one  of  the  leaders  in  that  celebrated 
movement  in  company  with  the  brothers  John  and 
Charles  Wesley.  He  was  the  most  brilliant  and  effect- 
ive preacher  of  them  all,  was  the  first  of  them  to  take 
the  open  air,  and  was  imbued  with  their  intense  spirit  of 
zeal  and  love  to  God  and  for  souls.  He  had  also  taken 
an  active  part  in  that  most  wonderful  revival  in  Wales, 
whose  leaders  were  the  staunch  Calvinists  Howell  Har- 
ris, Jones,  Rowland  and  others. 

This  was  the  spirit  in  which  he  came  here,  and  by 
his  surprising  eloquence  stirred  the  whole  country.  By 
so  doing  he  brought  those  early  days  of  our  Presby-- 
terianism  into  harmony  with  the  work  of  Wesley  and 
Harris  and  Edwards.  But  for  us  his  mission  was  bet- 
ter still,  for,  while  he  was  fully  in  sympathy  with  that 
great  revival  movement,  he  was  yet  sound  in  the  Cal- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  153 

vinistic  faith.  His  was  the  graiul  mission  of  leading  in 
those  most  earnest  revival  movements,  and  that  in  har- 
mony with  the  old  doctrines  of  Augustine  and  Calvin. 
This  spirit,  having  been  brought  witli  him,  was  received 
by  all  well-established  fathers  of  our  Church,  wrought 
into  their  quickened  life  by  his  glowing  eloquence,  and 
raised  up  our  Church  to  an  earnest  zeal  she  had  never 
known  before  and  has  never  lost.  The  Church  was 
orthodox  before ;  she  now  became  imbued  with  a  life 
and  energy  that  were  irresistible.  The  extent  and  power 
of  the  work  in  which  he  was  the  leader  may  be  seen  in 
that  the  Second  church  in  Philadelphia  was  made  up 
of  those  who  partook  of  his  spirit,  as  many  of  them  had 
been  converted  under  his  preaching. 

Nor  was  that  all  in  that  Great  Awakening  in  which 
we  were  most  deeply  concerned.  It  was  not  alone  at 
the  Lojr  Collesje  nor  in  this  whole  region  that  the  effects 
were  felt.  They  were  dispersed  far  and  near  as  indi- 
viduals removed  to  more  distant  places  or  new  cen- 
tres of  population  were  established  or  other  Presbyte- 
ries were  formed.  Those  devoted  men,  the  Klairs,  the 
Robinsons,  the  Beattys  and  others,  carried  these  effects 
into  every  quarter,  until  it  became  the  very  life  and 
power  of  religion  in  the  whole  country. 

THE   CHILD    OF    PROVIDENCE. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that,  having  gone  so  far  as  to  be- 
come satisfied  that  there  was  a  special  design  by  the 
God  of  providence  and  of  his  Church  in  raising  up  this 
wonderful  man  and  graciously  guiding  him,  we  have 
been  constrained  to  go  much  farther  and  to  trace  with 
some  minuteness  his  most  sublime  mission  ?  There  is 
no  other  so  real  and  satisfactory  explanation  that  can  be 
given  of  his  extraordinary  talents  and  career  than  this 


154  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

that  his  mission  was  specially  ordered  of  Providence. 
This  is  the  light  in  which  we  must  regard  him.  It 
was  the  light  in  which  Tennent  and  the  men  of  his 
day  regarded  him.  Their  opinion  was  that  "  he  was 
a  messenger  from  God  sent  to  accomplish  great  good 
among  the  people."  They  knew  him  as  we  cannot 
know  him,  and  such  was  their  mature  judgment. 

And  the  crisis  of  the  Church  and  country  at  that 
time  was  such  as  to  call  for  such  an  instrument  as  a 
gift  from  God.  The  foundations  of  our  Church  were  to 
be  laid  for  all  time  to  come ;  how  important  that  it 
should  receive  a  character  for  vital  godliness  in  its 
very  beginning !  And  how  deeply  significant  that  its 
foundations  were  laid  amid  the  revival  scenes  in  which 
Whitefield  was  the  leader !  How  vastly  momentous 
that  those  earnest,  godly  men  at  the  beginning  went 
forth  in  his  spirit  and  in  that  of  Wesley  and  Howell 
Harris  and  Lady  Huntingdon  !  Did  it  not  preintimate 
what  God  intended  our  Church  to  be  that  theirs  was  the 
spirit  in  which  he  caused  it  to  be  moulded  ?  Neither  was 
it  our  Church  only  that  was  to  be  influenced  in  its  whole 
future  life,  but  there  was  also  an  influence  that  was  in- 
tended to  go  out  over  the  whole  laud.  The  fortunes  of 
Church  and  country  were  bound  up  in  one.  God  alone 
knows  or  can  know  how  greatly  the  religious  life  of 
our  whole  land  was  influenced  by  those  first  move- 
ments of  quickening  power  which  it  has  thus  been  our 
unsi^eakable  privilege  to  trace. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FORMATIVE   PERIOD    {Continued):     THE    OLD    AND    NEW 
LIGHT    SCHISM. 

WHAT   WAS   IT? 

No  event  of  those  early  days  made  so  deep  a  sensa- 
tion or  became  so  memorable  as  what  was  called  the 
New  Light  Schism.  It  excited  the  community,  es- 
tranged brethren,  agitated  all  classes,  and  finally  rent 
the  Church.  It  has  ever  been  regarded  as  an  epoch  in 
our  history,  the  one  sadly  memorable  point  in  our  an- 
nals previous  to  the  formation  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly and  the  great  experience  which  as  a  warning 
should  never  be  forgotten. 

The  agitation  from  which  this  schism  sprung  had 
much  of  its  origin  within  our  bounds ;  much  of  the 
cause  of  the  contention  was  here,  and  some  of  the  lead- 
ing spirits  either  lived  here  or  had  sprung  from  this 
region.  Nowhere  were  the  eflfects  of  its  convulsions 
felt  more  deeply  than  in  some  of  our  old  churches. 

The  obligation,  therefore,  rests  on  us  to  recall  its 
stirring  scenes  and  to  depict  its  causes,  its  subjects 
of  controvei-sy,  its  sad  climax — its  beginning  and  its 
end.  We  shall  endeavor  to  trace  its  incidents  with  as 
much  distinctness,  and  yet  with  as  much  brevity,  as 
is  possible.  We  would  portray  its  leading  events  so 
that  they  may  be  clearly  seen.  When  was  it  ?  How  did 
it  originate?  What  were  the  subjects  in  controversy  ? 
What  was  the  great  crisis?    Who  were  the  ciiampions  in 


166 


156  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

its  debates  ?  Into  what  parts  was  the  Church  torn  ? 
What  was  their  condition  during  the  period  of  separa- 
tion ?  How  long  did  they  continue  apart  ?  All  these  are 
questions  which  we  must  strive  to  answer. 

CONDITION   OF   THE   CHURCH    AT    THE    TIME. 

The  time  of  schism  was  midway  between  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Presbytery  and  the  organization  of  the 
General  Assembly.  This  was  remarkable — at  any  rate, 
the  statement  of  it  will  be  of  aid  in  remembering  the 
period.  The  schism  began  thirty-six  years  after  our 
commencement  as  an  organized  body,  and  ended  thirty 
years  before  the  formation  of  our  General  Assembly. 
It  began  in  1741,  and  was  healed  in  1758,  making 
the  period  of  its  continuance  seventeen  years.  Then, 
taking  the  middle  of  that  period  of  seventeen  years,  or 
1750,  as  the  point  from  which  to  make  our  estimate, 
we  find  it  about  the  centre  of  the  period  between  1705, 
when  the  Presbytery  was  formed,  and  1788,  when  the 
General  Assembly  was  organized.  We  note  this  as  a 
remarkable  coincidence,  whether  there  is  any  provi- 
dential significance  in  it  or  not. 

Another  coincidence  of  time  cannot  but  be  noticed. 
The  schism  occurred  in  1741,  but  that  was  thirty-six 
years  after  the  organization  of  the  Presbytery,  or  about 
the  length  of  a  generation.  Had  that  generation  in 
time  brought  about  such  changes  in  the  composition 
of  the  Church  or  in  the  state  of  feelings  and  opinions 
as  opened  the  way  for  the  misunderstandings  and  aliena- 
tions which  resulted  in  division? 

Still  another  painfully  significant  thing  about  the 
time  was  that  the  schism  commenced  only  two  years 
after  Whitefield's  last  visit  and  five  after  his  first  visit 
to  the  Log  College.     Hence  only  two  or  three  years 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  l,")? 

before  it  tlie  great  outpouring  of  tlie  Spirit  luul  been 
enjoyed,   the  cliurclies   liacl   been   refreshed  and   their 
membei'ship  largely  increased  in  number.     AVas  there 
any  connection  between    the  two  events?      We  shall 
have  occasion  to  answer  this  question  in  another  ])lace. 
Meantime,  the  churches  had  grown  rapiiUy  in  mem- 
bers— much  more  rapidly,  in  proportion,  than  had  the 
population  of  the  country.     Be  it  still  remembered  that 
the  length  of  time  was  only  that  of  a  generation,  and 
that  therefore  the  great  increase  was  the  more  remark- 
able.     AViien   the  Presbytery  was  formed,  or   rather 
when  the  Church  was   begun    in   an   organized   con- 
dition, in   1705,  there   was    but   one   Presbytery  and 
about  seven  churches  or   ministers.     Thirty-six  years 
have  rolled  away,  and  what  do  we  find  to  mark  the 
progress  of  the  generation  ?     Instead  of  a  single  Pres- 
bytery, a  Synod  consisting  of  four  Presbyteries    had 
been  constituted  in  1716;  two  other  Presbyteries  had 
afterward  been  added  ;  the  members  of  the  Presbyteries 
were  dispersed  over  the  country  from  New  England  to 
Virginia — New  Castle,  with  seven  ministers ;  Lewes, 
with  five;  Philadelphia,  with  six;  New  Brunswick,  with 
four;  Donegal,  with  eleven ;  and  New  York,  with  twelve. 
The  Presbyteries  had  therefore  increased  sixfold.     In 
these   Presbyteries    the    number    of    ministers — there 
were  probably  as  many  churches — amounted  in  all  to 
fifty-one.    As  there  were  but  six  in  the  beginning,  the 
increase  in  the  number  of  ministers — and  probably  of 
churches  also — was   about   eightfold.      No   doubt  the 
great   revival   influences   of  the   period  accounted,  at 
least  in  part,  for  this  increase.     The  fact  to  carry  with 
us,  in  endeavoring  to  estimate   the  schism,  is  that  at 
that  time  the  Church  contained  one  Synod,  six  Pres- 
bvteries  and  fiftv-one  ministers. 


158  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Whence  came  these  ministers?  or  where  had  they 
been  prepared  for  the  sacred  office?  The  answer  to 
this  will  be  found  to  have  a  bearing  on  the  agitations  of 
the  day.  Some  of  them  had  been  educated  in  the  col- 
leges of  New  England,  many  of  them  had  come  from 
Ireland  and  Scotland,  but  the  greater  part  of  them  had 
doubtless  been  trained  at  the  Log  College  and  the  in- 
stitutions that  had  sprung  out  of  it.  The  Log  Col- 
lege was  the  only  institution  bearing  the  name  of  col- 
lege in  the  whole  Presbyterian  Church  for  the  educa- 
tion of  candidates  for  the  ministry,  but  out  of  it  had 
grown  the  other  seminaries — at  Nottingham,  Fagg's 
Manor  and  Pequa.  These  were  literally  all,  as  Prince- 
ton College  was  not  yet  in  existence.  These  few  facts 
will  serve  to  describe  the  condition  of  the  Church  at 
the  time  of  the  schism. 

TENDENCIES    IN   THE   CHUKCH    LEADING   TO    IT. 

Three  points  which  we  are  now  to  name  did  not 
formally  enter  into  the  controversies  as  subjects  of  dis- 
cussion, but  they  existed  as  tendencies,  and  finally 
took  shape  in  the  matters  on  which  the  Church  was 
rent  in  twain. 

In  the  beginning  it  should  be  distinctly  stated  and 
understood  that  there  were  no  doctrinal  diflPerences, 
This  should  be  made  the  more  emphatic  from  the  dis- 
position sometimes  found  to  connect  this  first  great  di- 
vision of  the  Church  with  the  subsequent  one  of  the 
Old  and  New  Schools.  There  was,  in  fact,  no  relation 
or  connection  whatever  between  the  two,  as  many  of 
those  who  sympathized  with  the  New  Light  side  in 
the  first  controversy  were  just  as  strong  in  their  sym- 
pathy with  the  Old  School  side  of  the  latter  contro- 
versy, and  the  contrary.     We   therefore   repeat   that 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  159 

there  were  no  contentions  about  doctrines  connected 
with  the  schism.  We  read  of  no  such  debates.  The 
differences  which  afterward  agitated  the  Church  had 
not  then  been  broached.  Even  on  the  subject  of  the 
"  new  birth,"  one  brought  prominently  forward  then 
by  the  revivals,  there  were  no  theoretical  disputes,  the 
only  differences  being  concerning  the  manner  of  its 
manifestations. 

That  doctrines  did  not  enter  into  the  discussions  of 
the  time  may  be  seen  in  the  "  Adopting  Act "  of  only 
twelve  years  before.  According  to  that  act,  the  Synod 
agreed,  with  only  one  dissenting  voice,  and  that  after 
diligently  inquiring  whether  any  one  had  any  scruples, 
that  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Larger  and  Shorter 
Catechisms  of  the  Assembly  of  Divines  at  Westminster 
was  the  confession  of  faith  of  the  body.  And  so  cordial 
were  they  in  this,  so  unanimous  and  so  clear,  that  im- 
mediately after  taking  the  vote  on  it  "  the  Synod,  ob- 
serving that  unanimity,  peace  and  unity  which  appeared 
in  all  their'  consultations  and  determinations  relating  to 
the  affair  of  the  Confession,  did  unanimously  agree  to 
give  thanks  to  God  in  solemn  prayer  and  praise."  This 
makes  it  positive  that  there  were  no  doctrinal  differences 
in  the  body  twelve  years  before. 

The  Adopting  Act  itself  shows  that  no  such  divisions 
had  crept  in  in  the  mean  time — "  That  every  member 
of  this  Synod,  whether  minister  or  elder,  do  sincerely 
and  heartily  receive,  own,  acknowledge  or  subscribe  the 
Westminster  Confession  of  Faith,  the  Larger  and  Shorter 
Catechisms,  as  the  confession  of  his  faith,  and  the  Direct- 
ory, as  far  as  circumstances  will  admit  in  this  infant 
Church,  for  the  rule  of  church  order."  This  is  the  best 
proof  we  could  have  that  there  were  no  such  disputes. 
Doctrines,  then,  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the 


160  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

scliism,  as  then  there  existed  no  diversity  of  opinion 
in  the  denomination.  What,  then,  were  the  matters 
agitating  the  Church  which  led  to  it? 

(1)  One  of  the  things  which  became  the  occasion 
of  great  trouble  in  the  Church  was  the  precious  quick- 
ening by  the  Holy  Ghost  of  which  Whitefield  was  so 
instrumental,  through  which  so  many  of  the  churches 
had  been  visited  and  blessed.  We  say  the  occasion,  not 
the  cause,  for  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  anything  but 
such  as  lead  to  strifes.  Whitefield's  visits  and  the  great 
revivals  had  been  only  two  or  three  years  before,  and 
their  extraordinary  influences  were  still  lingering  in 
the  churches.  Believers  had  been  warmed  and  edified, 
multitudes  converted  and  the  churches  greatly  strength- 
ened. These  blessings  had  been  enjoyed  by  some  of 
the  churches  more  than  by  others. 

But  it  is  an  old  device  of  Satan  to  make  such  seasons 
of  rapid  growth  in  the  kingdom  a  time  for  putting  forth 
his  greatest  efforts  in  sowing  discord  and  producing  trou- 
bles among  God's  people.  It  is  as  if  he  then  "came  down 
having  great  wrath,  because  he  knoweth  that  he  hath 
but  a  short  time."  So  was  it  even  when  Christ  was  here 
among  men :  then  the  Evil  One  would  counteract  the 
work  of  the  Son  of  God  by  those  strange  afflictions  of 
the  demoniacal  possessions.  So  was  it  in  the  great  Ref- 
ormation of  the  sixteenth  century :  then  the  device  of 
Satan  was  to  prompt  the  counteracting  influence  of  the 
system  of  the  Jesuits.  So  has  it  been  in  every  general 
revival  that  we  have  ever  carefully  studied :  frequently 
some  error  or  strife  has  immediately  been  awakened. 
Our  observation  tells  us  that  so  it  is  in  revivals  in  par- 
ticular churches :  the  time  of  danger  is  immediately 
afterward,  when  great  care  is  needed  to  watch  against 
some  such  snares  as  Satan  will  most  probably  set.     We 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  161 

can  hardly  question  but  tliat  it  was  so  with  the  season 
of  refreshing  of  our  early  history :  the  production  of 
the  great  schism  was  an  aim  of  Satan  to  render  the 
blessing  of  less  effect  against  the  kingdom  of  darkness. 

(2)  A  second  subject  of  very  grave  agitation  through- 
out the  whole  Church  was  that  of  a  college  of  the  first 
class  for  the  education  of  young  men  for  the  ministry 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  At  that  time  there  was  no 
such  institution  in  the  whole  country.  It  was  acknowl- 
edged on  almost  all  hands  that  the  Log  College  had  not 
that  full  and  thorough  course  which  ultimately  must  be 
established.  It  was  founded  simply  to  meet  an  emer- 
gency :  in  its  classical  course  it  has  probably  never  been 
surpassed ;  in  mathematics  it  was  of  a  high  grade ;  but 
to  meet  the  increasing  wants  of  Church  and  country  an 
institution  with  a  more  complete  course  of  sciences,  more 
serviceable  buildings  and  more  perfect  organization  must 
be  established.  The  matter  was  revolving  in  thoughtful 
minds  all  over  the  Church.  The  subject  was  fermenting. 
It  was  inevitable  that  there  should  be  great  diversity  of 
views.  Could  not  the  Log  College  be  so  greatly  im- 
proved as  to  meet  the  acknowledged  want?  Where 
should  such  a  college  be  located  ?  How  were  the  funds 
to  be  secured  for  its  construction  ?  Of  what  character 
precisely  should  it  be?  All  was  then  without  precedent, 
and  these  were  at  that  time  burning  questions.  No  won- 
der that  the  Church  became  more  and  more  excited. 

(3)  A  third  source  of  trouble  was  that  which  sprung 
from  the  two  different  nationalities,  habits  and  casts  of 
mind  of  which  the  Church  was  largely  composed.  The 
one  was  the  Scotch-Irish,  with  their  thorough  training, 
their  fixedness  of  principles  and  their  love  of  established 
order.  The  other  element  was  that  which  sprung  from 
New  England,  with  its  ardent  life,  its  intense  energy 

11 


162  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

and  its  habits  of  adventure.  These  two  elements  had 
not  yet  so  fully  coalesced  as  perfectly  to  merge  their 
peculiarities  in  each  other.  They  had  different  customs, 
different  views  of  things,  different  casts  of  mind.  They 
looked  at  things  in  different  lights.  They  did  not  fully 
understand  each  other.  It  would  take  a  long  time  for 
them  completely  to  assimilate.  All  the  traces  of  that 
diversity  of  thought  and  bent  of  mind  have  not  even 
yet  wholly  disappeared.  It  was  inevitable  that  in  those 
early  days  these  opposite  tendencies  should  sometimes 
come  in  collision  and  produce  results  that  must  be 
unhappy. 

(4)  A  fourth  cause  of  constant  irritation  was  the 
fact  that  the  relations,  rights  and  duties  of  the  various 
branches  of  the  ecclesiastical  system  were  not  yet  clearly 
defined.  The  felt  need  had  not  yet  operated  long  enough 
to  lead  to  the  adoption  of  such  rules  of  intercommuni- 
cation as  would  prevent  friction  and  interference.  The 
duties  of  Presbyteries  to  Presbyteries  were  not  under- 
stood. The  proper  relations  of  Presbyteries  to  Synods, 
and  even  to  churches,  had  not  yet  been  learned.  Simi- 
lar duties  had  been  familiar  in  other  lands,  but  the  new 
Church  was  made  up  of  dissimilar  elements,  and  was 
in  untried  circumstances,  so  that  everything  had  to  be 
more  or  less  modified,  and  experience  alone  could  teach 
the  proper  modifications.  Wants  and  customs  had  to 
settle  them.  Experience  could  be  the  only  teacher,  and 
for  that  there  had  not  yet  been  time  enough,  or,  rather, 
bitter  divisions  were  a  part  of  such  experience. 

None  of  these  causes  perhaps  took  such  definite  shape 
as  to  become  a  subject  of  formal  controversy.  But  they 
all  existed  as  general  grounds  of  fermentation  and  of 
increasing  irritation.  No  one  of  them  by  itself,  it  is 
likely,  would  have  brought  about  the  ultimate  disastrous 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  163 

result.      But   it   was   inevitable    that   combined    they 
should  finally  lead  to  the  crisis. 

SPECIFIC   CAUSES   OF   THE   DISRUPTION. 

When  such  general  discontent  was  lurking  it  was 
certain  soon  to  take  on  a  definite  shape.  For  two 
or  three  years  the  dissatisfaction  went  on  fermenting 
and  growing  worse  and  worse.  At  length  it  took  form. 
That  fi)rm  may  be  described  under  three  different  heads. 
There  were  others  not  so  easily  defined,  and  perliaps  not 
acknowledged,  but  they  all  may  be  classed  under  one  or 
other  of  these  three : 

1.  The  first  subject  of  what  became  a  source  of  in- 
tensely excited  controversy  was  that  which  was  called 
the  New  Lights.  What  these  new  lights  were  in  detail 
we  are  not  distinctly  informed.  Their  prevailing  char- 
acter, however,  has  been  clearly  enough  recorded. 

Under  the  awakening  preaching  of  Whitefield,  Gil- 
bert Teniient,  Samuel  Blair  and  others,  and  under  the 
intense  feelings  of  the  religious  quickening  of  the 
period,  certain  courses  were  taken  which  a  cooler  judg- 
ment afterward  could  hardly  approve.  These  courses 
were  probably  not  wrong  in  themselves,  but  they  were 
of  a  dangerous  tendency  when  carried  to  excess.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  both  Whitefield  and  Tennent,  after 
more  mature  experience,  acknowledged  that  they  could 
scarcely  be  approved. 

One  of  these  courses  was  connected  with  the  sul)- 
ject  of  the  new  birth  and  conversion.  The  Church 
had  run  into  sad  formality  and  practical  error  on  the 
subject.  It  had  become  customary,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  that  at  a  certain  age  nearly  all  who  had  been 
baptized  should  be  received  to  the  Lord's  Supper  with- 
out giving  any  evidence  of  a  change  of  heart.     The 


164  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

matter  of  personal  acceptance  with  God  received  but 
little  attention.  It  was  considered  as  almost  too  sacred 
a  subject  to  be  conversed  about. 

The  opposite  extreme  was  run  into  by  the  other  side. 
It  was  affirmed  that  the  instant  of  conversion  must  be 
known,  tangible,  very  apparent  and  accompanied  by 
certain  established  manifestations  in  every  case ;  also, 
that  certain  means  should  always  be  used  to  produce 
those  impressive  manifestations  of  the  change.  These 
means,  generally  extraordinary,  became  fruitful  sources 
of  controversy.  Always  in  danger  of  going  to  extrav- 
agant lengths  and  often  carried  to  excess",  those  who 
employed  them  were  called  the  New  Lights. 

(2)  The  second  cause  which,  conspiring  with  the 
others,  ultimately  produced  the  division,  was  the  intru- 
sion of  the  ardent  friends  of  the  revival  into  other  con-' 
gregations  and  other  Presbyteries  than  their  own,  and 
preaching  in  them  with  their  utmost  zeal.  They  felt 
impelled  to  go  anywhere,  irresjoective  of  ecclesiastical 
boundaries,  to  awaken  the  backsliding  and  the  careless. 
Such  burning  souls  as  Gilbert  Tennent  and  Samuel 
Blair  would  not  by  any  rules  be  restrained  from  preach- 
ing to  the  perishing.  On  the  other  side,  those  into 
whose  special  charge  such  intrusions  were  made  not  un- 
naturally felt  sorely  aggrieved  thereby.  It  was  usurp- 
ing their  work  and  reflecting  upon  their  fidelity.  The 
ardent  revivalists  would  not  be  restrained,  and  the 
others  became  more  and  more  exasperated. 

The  whole  matter,  which  became  such  a  grave  source 
of  trouble  at  the  time,  is  so  clearly  presented  by  Dr. 
Alexander  that  we  shall  make  use  of  his  description  : 
"  One  of  the  greatest  causes  of  complaint  against  Mr. 
Tennent  and  his  '  New-Light '  brethren  was  that,  in 
violation  of  order  and  propriety,  they  passed  beyond 


FORMATH^E  PERIOD.  165 

the  bounds  of  their  own  Presbytery  and  intruded  into 
congregations  under  the  care  of  other  ministers.  This 
these  brethren  attempted  to  justify  by  the  sound 
maxim  employed  by  the  apostles  when  forbidden  to 
preach  by  the  Jewish  rulers,  '  that  we  should  obey  God 
rather  than  man.'  But  it  may  well  be  doubted 
whether,  in  the  circumstances  in  which  they  were 
placed,  the  maxim  was  ap})licable.  The  ministers  into 
whose  congregations  they  intruded  belonged  to  the 
same  Synod  with  themselves,  and*  had  as  good  a  right 
to  judge  what  was  right  and  expedient  as  the  *  New- 
Side  '  ministers." 

In  another  j)lace  Dr.  Alexander  more  fully  describes  : 
"  Gilbert  Tennent  and  Samuel  Blair  were  men  of  in- 
vincible firmness.  They  were  the  leaders  in  this  war- 
fare. They  saw  a  great  harvest  before  them,  and  the 
Lord  seemed  to  attend  their  labors  everywhere  with  a 
blessing ;  and  they  were  led  to  think  that  mere  forms 
of  order  and  regulations  of  ecclesiastical  bodies  were  of 
trivial  importance  compared  with  the  advancement  of 
the  Redeemer's  kingdom  and  the  salvation  of  souls. 
They  felt,  as  did  the  apostles  and  first  Reformers,  that 
they  were  called  to  go  everywhere  preaching  the  gospel, 
without  regard  to  prescribed  limits  of  Presbyteries  or 
congregations,  especially  as  they  observed  that  many 
pastors  neglected  to  inculcate  on  their  hearers  the  ne- 
cessity of  a  change  of  heart,  and  that  the  people  were 
as  really  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge  as  they  were 
under  Jewish  or  popish  instructors.  They  felt  them- 
selves bound,  therefore,  to  preach  far  and  wide  wher- 
ever the  people  would  hear  them."  But  this  became 
a  fruitful  source  of  alienation. 

(3)  A  ihird  matter  which  led  to  the  schism  was  the 
debates  concerning  the  education  of  young  men  for  the 


166  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

ministry.  This  became  a  burning  question  through 
the  exigencies  of  the  time,  when  ministers  must  be  had 
for  the  rapidly  increasing  wants  of  the  Cliurch,  and  yet 
no  satisfactory  method  of  obtaining  them  was  in  exist- 
ence. There  were  only  two  ways  in  which  anything 
like  a  suitable  training  could  be  obtained :  One  was  at 
the  colleges  of  Great  Britain  or  at  those  then  established 
in  New  England ;  but  either  of  these  involved  long 
journeys  and  an  amount  of  expense  which  the  young 
men,  most  of  them  poor,  could  not  afford.  The  other 
method  open  to  those  preparing  for  the  ministry  was 
the  training  of  the  Log  College,  which  was  inexpensive 
and  was  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Synod. 

Neither  of  these  methods  was  satisfactory  to  all.  On 
the  one  side  were  those  who  had  been  graduated  at  the 
Log  College.  These,  it  was  granted,  were  well  trained 
in  the  classics  and  kindred  studies.  JNIoreover,  it  was 
a  theological  seminary  as  well  as  a  college,  the  young 
men  being  taught  theology  also ;  and  it  was  especially 
valuable  on  account  of  the  deep  tone  of  piety  which 
prevailed  and  was  cultivated  there.  Vital  godliness 
was  its  reigning  spirit.  Then  the  men  who  had  come 
from  it  were  among  the  best  men  and  greatest  preach- 
ers our  Church  had  ever  seen.  As  Dr.  Alexander  em- 
phatically wrote :  "  If  we  compare  Gilbert  Tennent, 
Samuel  Blair,  Samuel  Finley,  William  Tennent,  Jr., 
and  John  Blair  with  an  equal  number  of  their  opposers, 
they  certainly  will  not  suffer  in  public  opinion  by  the 
comparison."  In  another  place  his  careful  and  well- 
weighed  testimony  was :  "  I  cannot  express  how  much 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  these  United  States  is  in- 
debted to  this  very  corps  who  studied  successfully  the 
sacred  oracles  in  the  Log  College,  or,  more  probably, 
under  the  beautiful  groves  which  shaded  the  banks  of 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  167 

the  Neshaminy.  There  tliey  studied,  and  there  they 
prayed,  and  tliere  they  were  taught  of  God." 

But,  on  the  other  side,  tlie  majority  of  tlie  Synod,  as- 
suming that  that  humble  institution  on  the  Neshaminy, 
tiuight  chiefly  by  one  man,  could  not  possibly  meet  the 
want,  insisted  that  a  diploma  from  some  established  col- 
lege should  be  required  of  every  candidate.  This  soon 
arrayed  on  opposite  sides  the  friends  and  the  opposers  of 
Mr.  Tennent's  school.  The  opposers,  who  were  then  the 
majority  of  the  Synod,  objected  to  receiving  young  men 
into  the  ministry  without  giving  })roof,  upon  examina- 
tion, of  a  fuller  prej)aration  than  the  course  at  the  Log 
College  could  allbrd. 

Finally,  the  determination  was  reached  that  all 
students,  before  they  should  be  licensed,  must  submit 
to  an  examination  by  the  entire  Synod,  through  its 
appointed  committees.  Such  a  rule  was  accordingly 
adopted,  in  response  to  an  overture  from  one  of  the 
Presbyteries,  the  essential  point  of  which  was,  "  The 
Synod  agree  and  determine  that  every  })erson  who  pro- 
poses himself  to  trial  as  a  candidate  for  the  ministry, 
and  who  has  not  a  diploma  or  the  usual  certificate  from 
a  European  or  New  England  University,  shall  be  ex- 
amined by  the  whole  Synod  or  its  commission  as  to  these 
preparatory  studies  which  we  generally  pass  through  at 
the  college;  and  if  they  find  him  qualified  they  shall 
give  him  a  certificate,  which  shall  be  received  by  our 
respective  Presbyteries  as  equivalent  to  a  diploma  or 
certificate  from  the  college."  And  then,  to  carry  the 
rule  into  execution,  two  committees  were  appointed  for 
the  purpose,  one  from  the  northern  and  the  other  from 
the  southern  portion  of  the  Synod. 

Against  this  rule  the  Log  College  men  and  the  friends 
of  the  revival  most  earnestly  protested.   They  maintained 


168  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

that  it  was  subversive  of  the  most  sacred  function  of  the 
Presbytery,  to  which  alone  it  pertained  to  ordain,  and 
of  course  to  license  to  the  ministry,  and  that  it  was 
directly  aimed  at  the  Log  College,  its  course  and  its 
friends.  This  brought  on  a  contest  that  was  definite 
and  well  understood.  According  to  the  one  side,  the 
leading  thing  to  be  required  in  candidates  for  the  minis- 
try was  vital  godliness;  on  the  other  side,  it  was  a  thor- 
ough course  of  learning.  The  friends  of  the  revival  and 
of  the  Log  College  did  not  maintain  that  devoted  piety 
was  all  that  should  be  required,  for  they  strenuously 
insisted  that  there  should  also  be  an  adequate  educa- 
tion, but  that  earnest  godliness  was  to  hold  the  first 
place.  Nor  did  the  opponents  ignore  piety  ;  they  held 
it  to  be  indispensable,  but  laid  the  greater  stress  on 
thorough  training.  The  controversy  waxed  warmer 
and  warmer,  until  separation  became  inevitable. 

These  three  points — the  controversies  about  the  "  New 
Lights,"  about  intrusions  into  others'  charges  and  about 
education  for  the  ministry — were  those  upon  which  the 
Synod  divided.  The  advocates  of  these  points  were  all 
ranged  on  the  same  side,  and  the  united  weight  of  the 
questions  involved  was  overwhelming.  They  were  all 
of  vital  importance,  and  are  so  even  to  the  present  time, 
for  the  principles  at  stake  are  always  of  vital  moment. 
Those  good  brethren  fought  their  battles  for  all  time, 
and  this  makes  the  subject  ours  as  well  as  theirs.  It 
was  not,  therefore,  a  contest  of  mere  local  or  temporary 
import. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  in  the  progress  of  the  discus- 
sions, very  deep  and  often  lamentable  feelings  would  be 
awakened.  Such  men  as  Gilbert  Tennent  and  Samuel 
Finley  could  not  be  moderate.  The  sad  thing  was  that 
strong  personal  antagonisms  would  and  did  arise,  and 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  169 

helped  on  the  painful  result.  The  heat  of  feeling  led 
to  excesses  on  both  sides.  It  was  greatly  to  be  lamented 
that  attacks  should  be  made  and  prejudices  aroused 
against  the  Log  College,  an  institution  which  had  ac- 
complished such  noble  things  for  both  Church  and 
country.  But  such  deplorable  feelings  seem  to  mark 
the  outworking  of  all  human  progress. 

THE    CRISIS. 

In  all  such  fermenting  and  ripening  complications 
of  human  controversies  there  generally  comes  an  inci- 
dent or  an  accident  which  brings  them  to  a  head.  It  is 
like  applying  a  match  to  a  mass  of  combustible  material 
which  has  long  been  preparing.     So  was  it  in  this  case. 

In  1741  there  came  before  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Brunswick,  applying  for  examination  and  licensure,  a 
student  of  the  Log  College,  named  John  Kowland.  He 
was  the  young  man  of  whom  we  have  already  spoken 
as  the  great  evangelist.  The  decisive  issue  had  now 
come.  What  was  the  Presbytery  to  do?  It  was  un- 
doubtedly its  constitutional  right  and  duty  as  a  Pres- 
bytery to  examine  and  license  him,  and,  if  it  saw  fit, 
to  ordain  him.  But  the  rule  of  the  Synod,  the  superior 
body,  required  that  he  should  first  obtain  Synod's  cer- 
tificate— a  course  the  Presbytery  regarded  as  a  usurpa- 
tion. The  issue  was  square  and  unavoidable.  Such 
men  as  Gilbert  Tennent  and  Samuel  Blair  were  not 
likely  to  hesitate  long.  They  promptly  proceeded  to 
examine  Mr.  Rowland,  and,  being  satisfied,  licensed 
him  on  the  1st  day  of  June,  1741.  The  division  was 
made,  a  serious  wound  on  the  cause  was  inflicted,  the 
separation  of  seventeen  years  was  accomplished :  the 
great  schism  had  become  an  historical  event. 

The  Synod  would  not,  of  course,  recognize  the  act  of 


170  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

the  Presbytery  in  licensing  Mr.  Rowland.  Those  of 
its  members  who  were  in  the  majority  had  no  charge 
to  bring  against  him,  and  did  not  deny  his  ecclesias- 
tical standing,  but  they  would  not  allow  him  to  be  re- 
ceived into  their  puli)its.  Nor  did  they  stop  there,  but 
also  excluded  from  their  number  what  they  called  "  the 
contumacious  Presbytery."  The  record  of  the  event 
was  in  this  form.  A  test  question  was  presented 
whether  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  or  their 
opposers  were  the  Synod.  The  question  was  put. 
The  men  of  New  Brunswick  were  found  in  the  minor 
party,  and  then  they  withdrew. 

But  it  could  not  be  expected  that  the  schism  would 
stop  there.  The  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  was  a 
small  body  of  only  four  or  five  ministerial  members, 
but  it  soon  proved  that  many  others  of  the  Synod  were 
with  these  in  heart.  A  very  wide  feeling  extended 
throughout  the  Church  that  the  Presbytery  had  been 
unjustly  dealt  with.  That  feeling  soon  manifested  itself 
in  a  tangible  form.  In  the  very  same  year  a  new  Pres- 
bytery, the  second  that  was  named  New  Castle,  was 
formed  of  certain  members  who  sympathized  with  the 
New  Brunswick  brethren  and  united  with  them  in  sepa- 
ration from  the  Synod.  The  breach  still  widened,  and 
was  rendered  complete  four  years  afterward,  or  in  1745, 
by  the  formation  and  withdrawal  of  the  whole  Synod 
of  New  York,  composed  of  the  Presbyteries  of  New 
York,  New  Castle  and  New  Brunswick.  The  schism 
was  thus  complete,  with  a  whole  Synod  on  either  side — 
New  York  on  the  New  Side,  and  Philadelphia  on  the 
Old  Side. 

THE  SEVENTEEN  YEAES  OF  SEPARATION. 

This  lamentable  and  humiliating  separation  contin- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  171 

ued  for  seventeen  years  from  the  first  decisive  act  of  the 
schism,  or  thirteen  years  from  its  full  consummation. 
The  two  Synods  were  entirely  separated  in  counsel  and 
in  work.  There  was  no  official  correspondence  what- 
ever between  them. 

It  does  not  appear,  however,  that  the  original  bitter- 
ness of  the  controversy  continued.  There  was  no  of- 
ficial intercourse  between  the  Synods  which  served  to 
keep  up  its  fervor,  and  so  that  fervor  soon  began  to  cool. 
There  was  a  lull  in  the  painful  strife  which  had  raged. 
Both  sides  seemed  to  have  been  appalled  at  the  shock- 
ing, and  probably  unanticip^ited,  calamity  which  had 
come.  The  Church  w^as  small  and  could  not  afford 
such  a  division  of  its  forces.  There  were  no  doc- 
trinal differences  between  the  parties,  and  therefore 
they  should  not  be  separated.  Good  men  must  have 
felt  the  evil  most  deeply. 

For  a  while  there  were  no  official  movements  look- 
ing toward  reunion.  It  required  some  years  to  bring 
them  so  far  as  that.  The  heat  of  controversy  had  to 
die  out,  and  that  required  time.  But  it  was  passing 
away.  Though  not  official,  there  were  many  overtures 
in  the  air. 

The  Presbytery  of  New  York,  not  having  been 
much  involved  in  the  original  controversy,  was  be- 
coming active  for  peace.  After  a  while  even  Gilbert 
Tennent,  the  most  ardent  and  mighty  spirit  of  all, 
became  zealous  in  his  efforts  for  reconciliation.  He 
issued  a  ]>ublication  in  the  interests  of  peace  and  re- 
union. Other  interests,  such  as  the  projected  College 
of  New  Jersey,  called  upon  the  faithful  to  lay  shoukler 
to  shoukler  in  the  cause  which  they  all  loved  above 
everything  else.  Those  who  were  brethren  in  heart 
must  soon  be  united  in  form  and  in  action. 


172  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 


PKESBYTERY   OF   ABINGTON. 

There  was  one  event  during  the  seventeen  years  of 
great  historic  importance  to  us  as  a  Presbytery.  It  was 
the  constituting  of  the  "  Presbytery  of  Abingtony 
This  possesses  such  interest  to  us  because  this  was  in 
reality  the  Presbytery  from  which  we  trace  our  lineal 
descent.  It  was  organized  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven  years  ago  in  the  very  field  we  now  occupy;  it 
passed  through  many  vicissitudes,  sometimes  the  streams 
running  into  it  and  sometimes  out  from  it ;  sometimes 
bearing  one  name  and  sometimes  another ;  sometimes 
merged  in  another  body  for  a  time,  then  rising  up  again 
after  years  with  another  name ;  but  still  flowing  on 
with  such  elements  of  identity  as  make  it  ever  the 
same. 

The  Presbytery  was  organized  September  26,  1751, 
by  the  Synod  of  New  York,  the  record  of  the  act  being 
as  follows :  "  The  consideration  of  the  petition  of  some 
members  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  was 
resumed,  and  after  hearing  what  they  had  to  offer  in 
support  thereof  the  Synod  agree  to  grant  said  petition 
and  to  erect  that  part  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Bruns- 
wick that  live  in  Pennsylvania,  together  with  those 
who  live  in  New  Jersey  to  the  southward  of  Philadel- 
phia, bordering  upon  the  Delaware,  into  a  distinct  Pres- 
bytery by  the  name  of  the  Presbytery  of  Abington  ; 
and  also  appoint  their  first  meeting  to  be  at  Phila- 
delphia the  third  Wednesday  of  May  next,"  The 
ministerial  members  composing  it  were — Messrs.  Gil- 
bert Tennent,  Richard  Treat,  Charles  Beatty,  Andrew 
Hunter,  Daniel  Lawrence  and  Benjamin  Chesnut. 
This  Presbytery  was  not  formed  because  of  differences 
of  views  on  doctrine  or  order,  or  because  of  existing 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  173 

strifes,  or  because  of  alienations  in  feeling.  The 
reasons  for  erecting  it  were  purely  local  or  territorial. 
The  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  had  become  too 
large :  part  of  it  lay  in  the  middle  portion  of  New 
Jersey,  and  part  of  it  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  ter- 
ritory we  now  cover.  The  Presbytery  of  Abington 
was  therefore  constituted  of  this  portion  of  Pennsylva- 
nia and  for  the  convenience  of  the  few  churches  along 
the  Delaware  in  South  Jersey. 

The  vicissitudes  of  this  Presbytery  have  been  very 
many.  Organized  first  in  1751,  during  the  period  of 
separation,  it  continued  for  seven  years,  and  was  then, 
at  the  healing  of  the  breach  in  1758,  merged  in  the 
general  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  Thus  it  contin- 
ued for  four  years  until  17G2,  and  was  then  revived 
again  as  a  separate  body,  but  under  the  name  of 
the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia — First  in  name, 
though  it  covered  the  same  territory  now  occupied 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North.  So  it 
continued  to  exist  for  twenty-six  years  until  1788, 
when,  at  the  organization  of  the  General  Assembly,  it 
was  again  merged  in  the  general  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia. In  that  connection  it  continued  during  the 
vicissitudes  of  forty-four  years,  until  1832,  when  it  was 
erected  into  a  distinct  body  as  the  Second  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia.  Under  that  name  and  distinct  organiza- 
tion it  continued  for  thirty-eight  years,  or  until  the 
reunion  after  the  Old  and  New  School  division.  At 
that  time,  or  in  1870,  under  the  general  arrangement 
of  Synods  and  Presbyteries  it  retained  its  old  territory, 
but  received  tiie  name  of  the  Presbytery  of  Pliiladel- 
phia  North. 

Such  have  been  the  changes  of  names  and  fortunes  of 
our  Presbytery,  but  still  it  has  remained  substantially 


174  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

the  same.  Its  names  and  relations  liave  changed,  but 
not  its  identity.  The  stream  of  its  history  through 
outside  changes,  through  storms  and  through  years,  has 
been  substantially  this,  which  we  repeat  in  a  more  dis- 
tinct form  :  it  constituted  a  part  of  the  first  Presbytery 
on  this  continent  from  1705  for  forty-six  years,  or  to 
1751 ;  then  it  became  and  continued  the  Presbytery 
of  Abington  for  seven  years,  until  1758  ;  then  it  was 
merged  in  the  general  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  for 
four  years,  or  until  1762  ;  then  it  was  the  separate  First 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  for  twenty-six  years,  or 
until  1788  ;  then  it  was  absorbed  in  the  general  Presby- 
tery of  Philadelphia  for  forty-five  years,  or  until  1833 ; 
then  it  was  the  separate  Second  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia for  thirty-seven  years,  or  until  1870;  then  it 
has  been  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North  for  the 
last  eighteen  years.  Such  has  been  its  history  for  the 
one  hundred  and  eighty-three  years  of  our  Presby- 
terian Church.  The  name  which  it  should  have  borne 
because  of  its  history,  because  of  its  connection  with 
the  great  men  and  days  of  old,  and  because  of  its 
location,  the  very  heart  of  which  is  occupied  by  the 
old  church  of  Abington,  is  the  Presbytery  of  Abington. 

EEUNION. 

The  schism  between  the  Synods  of  Philadelphia  and 
New  York  was  healed  in  the  year  1758.  How  was  that 
event  brought  about  ?  In  the  minds  of  reflecting  and 
godly  men  there  was  from  the  beginning  a  conviction 
that  the  separation  should  never  have  occurred.  That 
conviction  manifested  itself  at  first  in  unoiScial  propo- 
sitions for  reunion,  afterward  in  formal  overtures  for 
reunion.  The  Presbytery  of  New  York,  which  was 
not  present  in  the  Synod  at  the  time  of  the  disrup- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  175 

tion,  was  particularly  active  in  these  negotiations  for  rec- 
onciliation. But  Gilbert  Tennent,  the  leading  spirit  of 
the  disruption  and  the  strongest  man  in  the  Church,  be- 
came the  chief  agent  in  healing  the  breach.  In  fact,  he 
had  never  intended  that  there  should  be  a  separation, 
but  only  that  what  he  considered  a  wrong  should  be 
rectified.  At  length  he  became  the  champion  for  bring- 
ing the  body  together  again.  "  He  was  among  the  first 
to  seek  a  reconciliation  and  reunion  of  the  parties.  To 
promote  this  object  he  wrote  and  published  a  pam- 
phlet "  (as  was  before  stated)  "  entitled  The  Pacifica- 
tor, in  which  he  reasons  strongly  in  favor  of  peace  and 
union."  These  various  efforts  were  successful,  and  the 
happy  end  was  accomplished. 

The  terms  on  which  the  two  parties  were  reunited 
were  simply  on  the  basis  of  the  Westminster  Confession 
and  Catechisms.  The  words  of  the  agreement  between 
them  were :  "  Both  Synods  having  always  approved 
and  received  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith,  and 
Larger  and  Shorter  Catechisms,  as  an  orthodox  and 
excellent  system  of  Christian  doctrine,  founded  on  the 
Word  of  God,  we  do  still  receive  the  same  as  the  con- 
fession of  our  faith,  and  also  adhere  to  the  plan  of 
w'orship,  government,  and  discipline,  contained  in  the 
Westminster  Directory,  strictly  enjoining  it  on  all  our 
members  and  probationers  for  the  ministry  that  they 
preach  and  teach  according  to  the  form  of  sound  words 
in  said  Confession  and  Catechisms,  and  avoid  and  oppose 
all  errors  contrary  thereto." — Records,  p.  286. 

The  spirit  in  which  they  came  together  is  worthy  of 
lasting  remembrance.  It  is  seen  in  this  agreement: 
"All  complaints  and  difterences  sludl  be  mutually  for- 
given and  buried  in  perpetual  oblivion;  the  Synods 
shall  unite  as  two  contiguous  bodies  of  Christians  agreed 


176  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

in  principle  as  though  they  had  never  been  concerned 
with  one  another  before,  nor  had  any  diiferences;  and 
now  join  the  Synods  and  Presbyteries  upon  such  script- 
ural and  rational  terms  as  may  secure  peace  and  good 
order,  tend  to  heal  our  broken  churches  and  advance 
religion  hereafter." 

Equally  memorable  were  the  piety  and  brotherly  love 
by  which  they  were  actuated,  as  seen  in  the  formal 
agreements  into  which  they  entered  with  each  other: 
"We  judge  that  this  is  a  proper  occasion  to  manifest 
our  sincere  intention,  unitedly  to  exert  ourselves  to  fulfill 
the  ministry  we  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Ac- 
cordingly, we  unanimously  declare  our  serious  and  fixed 
resolution,  by  divine  aid,  to  take  heed  to  ourselves  that 
our  hearts  be  upright,  our  discourse  edifying,  and  our 
lives  exemplary  for  purity  and  godliness ;  to  take  heed 
to  our  doctrine,  that  it  be  not  only  orthodox  but  evan- 
gelical and  spiritual,  tending  to  awaken  the  secure  to  a 
suitable  concern  for  their  salvation,  and  to  instruct  and 
encourage  sincere  Christians ;  thus  commending  our- 
selves to  every  man's  conscience  in  the  sight  of  God; 
to  cultivate  peace  and  harmony  among  ourselves,  and 
strengthen  each  other's  hands  in  promoting  the  knowl- 
edge of  divine  truth  and  diffusing  the  savor  of  piety 
among  our  people." — Records,  p.  288.  Such  men  must 
have  been  very  deeply  imbued  with  the  Spirit  of  Christ. 

What  had  been  the  effect  of  the  schism  upon  the 
churches  during  the  period  of  its  continuance?  Had 
the  commotions,  strifes  and  alienations  caused  religion 
to  decline  ?  So  we  should  have  anticipated.  Two  facts, 
however,  lead  us  to  a  different  conclusion.  One  was 
the  marvelous  spirit  of  brotherly  kindness  and  earnest 
piety  that  was  shown  in  the  transactions  connected  with 
the  reunion.     The  other  was  the  astonishing  progress 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  177 

of  the  Church  even  during  the  seventeen  years  of  the 
separation.  At  tlie  beginning  of  that  period  there 
were  forty-three  ministers,  and  probably  about  as  many 
churches,  but  at  the  close  of  the  period  of  seventeen 
years  there  were  about  one  hundred  ministers  and  as 
many  churches.  These  figures  we  get  from  the  records 
of  the  meetings  of  the  Synods,  at  each  of  which  there 
was  a  roll  preserved  of  the  ministers  present,  as  well  as 
of  those  absent. 

What  shall  we  say  of  the  inherent  vitality  of  that 
Church  which  even  during  seventeen  years  of  excite- 
ment and  sad  disunion  more  than  doubled  its  numbers 
and  its  strength?  Did  it  not  possess  a  zeal  which  even 
disunion  could  not  quench? 

ESTIMATE   OF   THE    MEN    AND    THEIR   WORK. 

How  do  these  men  and  this  work  appear  to  us  now 
when  we  look  back  upon  them  in  the  light  and  experi- 
ence of  one  hundred  and  thirty  years?  What  aspect 
do  they  bear  as  we  contemplate  them  through  the  sub- 
duing influence  of  history  when  all  the  local  and  tem- 
porary excitements  of  passion  have  passed  away? 

That  the  men  were  truly  godly  and  devoted  appears 
from  the  spirit  in  which  they  came  together,  as  well  as 
from  many  other  facts  in  the  records.  They  were  in- 
tensely earnest.  They  were  made  up  of  as  sincere  and 
earnest  Christians  as  the  Church  has  ever  seen.  They 
were  ready  to  make  any  sacrifices  for  the  truth,  to  which 
they  clung  with  their  whole  souls.  They  were  the  men 
whose  grandfathers  and  fathers  had  come  out  of  the 
hottest  furnaces  of  persecution,  and  they  felt  that  even 
the  forms  of  the  truth  were  so  dear  to  them  as  to  be 
worth  their  very  lives. 

We  must  also  keep  in  mind  the  great  work  which  lay 

12 


178  PRESBYTERY   OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

before  tliem,  and  of  whose  momentous  character  they 
could  not  but  be  conscious.  A  new  national  branch  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  was  to  be  built  up  in  a 
new  country,  and  for  a  destiny  of  unknown  importance. 
They  could  not  but  believe  that  much  of  the  future 
character  and  destiny  of  that  Church  were  to  be  what 
they  should  make  them.  It  was  therefore  a  grand  and 
a  responsible  work  to  which  they  felt  called. 

They  were  surrounded,  however,  by  great  difficulties. 
Their  course  was  not  smooth  and  unmistakable,  as  it 
would  be  now.  The  new  Church  for  this  new  country 
was  to  be  moulded  out  of  many  diverse  elements,  nation- 
alities and  drifts  of  thought.  In  doing  this  there  could 
not  but  be  friction.  Indeed,  it  would  seem  that  the  new- 
ness of  the  Church  and  country,  as  well  as  other  diffi- 
cult problems  with  which  they  had  to  deal,  would  make 
it  almost  inevitable  that  there  would  be  schism  among 
them.  Such  difficulties  as  these  they  did  have  to  encoun- 
ter, while  at  the  same  time  they  were  without  the  guid- 
ance of  such  principles  as  experience  would  have  taught 
them.  It  could  hardly  be  otherwise  than  that  they 
would  often  misunderstand  each  other  concerning  prin- 
ciples and  motives  as  well  as  actions. 

The  very  earnestness  of  the  men  and  their  intense  love 
for  the  truth  led  them  to  contend  diligently  for  the  truth. 
The  interests  at  stake  would  not  let  them  be  indifferent 
about  those  things  concerning  which  they  contended. 
The  strifes  of  the  day,  the  controversies  and  the  hard 
speeches,  were  but  as  the  noise  of  the  saws  and  the  axes 
on  the  cedars  of  Lebanon,  the  blows  of  the  hammers  in 
the  quarries  of  the  mountains,  and  the  confusion  in  the 
clay-grounds  of  Succoth  and  Zarthaim  as  the  material 
was  prepared  for  the  temple  that  was  to  adorn  the 
mount  of  the  Lord. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  179 


PERMANENT   EFFECTS   OF   THE   SCHISM. 

We  pass  from  these  temporary  and  personal  effects 
and  influences  of  the  schism  to  those  which  were  per- 
manent and  which  had  a  lasting  influence  on  the  cha- 
racter and  destiny  of  the  Church.  What  were  some  of 
them  ?  Was  the  great  schism  an  unmixed  evil  in  its 
permanent  results  ?  Was  there  not  an  important  train- 
ing in  it,  through  which  it  was  necessary  the  Church 
should  pass  in  order  to  its  full  development  ?  Did  not 
the  wonder-working  providence  of  God  allow  these  great 
and  good  men  to  fall  into  these  sore  contentions  that  the 
cause  might  be  perfected  thereby  ?  Has  not  that  Prov- 
idence turned  the  curse  into  a  blessing  ? 

In  certain  chemical  operations  there  must  be  an  effer- 
vescing process  in  order  that  the  substance  may  be 
purified.  The  seaman's  charts  receive  much  of  their 
value  as  indicators  of  dangerous  rocks  and  reefs  from 
the  wrecking  of  vessels,  by  which  the  points  of  peril 
were  discovered.  Precisely  thus  has  it  been  with  our 
Church  :  this  scene  of  evil  has  resulted  in  working  out 
more  permanent  safety  and  success.  Misunderstandings 
were  removed.  Dangerous  practices  were  done  away ; 
signals  were  erected  where  disasters  would  have  been 
ever  occurring. 

And  still  more  positively-enduring  good  was  effected. 
Every  practical  point  of  our  system  was  examined,  tested 
and  settled  on  a  sure  basis.  Nothing  was  taken  for 
granted  or  received  merely  on  tradition  ;  each  point  was 
tried,  its  agreement  with  truth  determined,  and  so  well 
established. 

We  name  as  samples  a  few  of  the  more  prominent 
points.  The  rights  and  duties  of  churches  and  Presby- 
teries in  relation  to  each  other  were  defined  and  they 


180  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

were  guarded  against  intrusions.  The  conditions  of 
admittance  to  the  Lord's  Supper  were  settled — namely, 
credible  evidence  of  a  change  of  heart  and  personal  faith 
in  Christ.  Qualifications  for  the  gospel  ministry  were 
definitely  fixed — not  devoted  piety  alone,  nor  suitable 
education  alone,  but  both  these,  as  well  as  a  call  from 
God  carefully  ascertained.  These  points  were  tested  with 
intense  care  and  settled  for  all  time.  There  has  never 
since  been  serious  controversy  concerning  them.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  these  and  other  similar  points  could 
have  been  settled  on  such  immovable  foundations  short 
of  such  a  costly  process.  They  had  never  been  estab- 
lished before.  And  they  are  matters  of  prime  import- 
ance in  the  practical  working  of  the  Church. 

After  the  perfect  healing  of  the  schism  thirty  years 
of  our  history  passed  on  in  a  quiet,  steady  progress  until 
the  organization  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1788. 
Perhaps  there  has  been  no  period  of  equal  length  so 
unruffled  or  uneventful  as  this.  As  usual,  however,  with 
such  periods,  when  there  is  so  little  for  the  historian,  it 
was  a  period  of  great  spiritual  prosperity,  of  peace  and 
of  growth  in  grace  and  in  numbers.  Little  more  have 
we  to  write  concerning  it.  Only  one  event  of  interest  to 
our  Presbytery  would  we  put  on  record,  for  it  marks  one 
of  our  great  epochs.  It  was  the  first  separation  made 
into  the  First  and  Second  Presbyteries  of  Philadelphia. 

FIRST   PRESBYTERY    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

One  of  the  great  surprises  which  have  been  forced 
upon  us  by  our  prolonged  investigation  of  the  facts  of 
our  history  has  been  that  the  territory  of  our  Presby- 
tery, that  territory  which  has  constituted  our  identity 
from  the  beginning,  has  been  the  real  focus  of  the  early 


FORMATIVE  PERIOJ).  181 

movements  of  our  Church,  aiul  that  consequently  ours 
was  for  a  long  time  the  true  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia. 

We  are  perfectly  aware,  of  course,  that  this  has  not 
been  the  usual  understanding  of  the  matter.  The  name 
of  the  Presbytery  has  been  that  of  Philadelphia,  and 
therefore  the  city  proper  has  been  considered  its  centre 
and  kernel.  This  has  been  the  name,  but  what  have 
been  the  facts?  In  the  first  place,  for  thirty-eight 
years  after  the  founding  of  the  Presbytery  the  city  had 
but  a  single  church,  while  this  corner  of  ours  in  its 
vicinity  had  ei^ht. 

In  the  next  place,  here  lay  the  chief  centre  of  our 
Church's  learning  and  religious  activity  for  a  long 
series  of  years.  From  this  also  the  men  and  the  in- 
fluences went  out  and  established  the  other  educa- 
tional institutions  of  Nottingham,  Fagg's  Manor  and 
Pequa.  Most  of  those  who  were  educated  for  the  minis- 
try of  our  Church  for  nearly  two  score  years  received 
their  training  here. 

Here,  too,  as  is  well  known,  was  the  focus  of  the 
great  awakening  which  had  such  an  important  influence 
in  moulding  the  early  piety  of  our  whole  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Moreover,  all  the  most  eminent  ministers  of  the  early 
day,  such  as  the  six  Tennents,  the  Blairs,  the  Finleys, 
the  Beattys,  and  even  the  Davieses,  who  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  our  Presbyterian  Church,  sprang  from  this 
centre  of  piety  and  learning. 

If  any  claim  can  be  laid  for  being  the  first  Presby- 
tery, not  only  of  Philadelphia,  but  even  of  the  country, 
surely  all  this  would  give  it ;  and  the  name,  Philadel- 
phia, could  come  only  from  our  general  vicinity  to  the 
city  and  our  first  connection  therewith. 

Neither  is  the  claim  original  with  the  writer,  for  it  is 


182  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

older  than  all  the  writings  whose  influence  has  gone  to 
establish  the  custom  of  regarding  the  First  Presbytery 
as  belonging  to  the  city  proper.     Our  claim  is  neither 
assuming  nor  modern.     This  was  the  opinion  held  by 
the  men  of  that  early  day  themselves.     And  this  Of)in- 
ion  of  theirs  was  what  first  aroused  our  attention  to 
it.     In  the  first   separation  that  was  made  into  First 
and  Second  Presbyteines  of  Philadelphia  this  portion  of 
ours   was   the  First  and  the   city  proper  the  Second. 
Concerning  this  there  can  be  neither  doubt  nor  contro- 
versy.    Its  history  is  found  in  the  compilation  of  the 
records  of  our  church  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Engles.     Ours 
was  the  First  Presbytery  of  PhiladeljDhia  when  a  First 
and  Second  were  first  established  according  to  the  men 
of  that  day,  who  certainly  knew  the  best.     For  almost 
thirty  of  the  most  prosperous  years  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  when  that  distinction  was  first  made,  ours 
was  the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.     A  position 
so  novel  as  this,  at  least  in  appearance,  needs  to  be  for- 
tified by  very  clear  proofs.     For  that  reason  we  shall 
give  them  separately  and  distinctly. 

1.  The  records  of  the  formation  of  the  two  Presby- 
teries show  this:  "In  compliance  with  a  request  from 
some  members  of  Philadelphia  Presbytery,  the  Synod 
appoint  that  the  members  of  that  Presbytery  be  erected 
into  two  Presbyteries  for  one  year  at  least"  (it  continued, 
in  fact,  for  nearly  thirty  years)  ;  "  and  that  the  new  Pres- 
bytery be  called  by  the  name  of  the  Second  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia;  and  that  Messrs.  Robert  Cross,  Francis 
Alison,  John  Ewing,  John  Simonton,  and  James  Latta, 
be  members  thereof;  and  that  their  first  meeting  be  at 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  this  city,  the  second 
Tuesday  in  August"  {11  Q>2).— Records,  p.  321.  Here 
are  the  two  facts :  that  the  Second  Presbytery  was  to  be 


I 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  183 

composed  of  men  all  of  whom  Avere  members  of  what 
has  ordinarily  been  considered  the  First  Presbytery ; 
and  that  its  first  meeting  was  to  be  held  in  the  city — 
both  facts  showing  that  this  new,  or  Second,  Presbytery 
was  to  have  the  city  as  its  centre. 

2.  The  rolls  of  both  Presbyteries,  as  they  are  found 
in  the  minutes  of  the  Synod  afterward,  show  that  the 
comj)osition  of  the  Presbyteries  was  as  we  have  asserted 
— namely,  that  the  second  Presbytery  contained  the 
names  we  have  already  given,  while  the  First  Presby- 
tery comprised  the  names  of  Gilbert  Teunent,  Treat, 
Beatty,  Chesnut,  Lawrence,  Hunter  and  Griffith — all 
well-known  pastors  of  this  region  or  associated  with  it. 
This  makes  our  position  positive. 

3.  We  have  already  shown  that  the  Presbytery  of 
Abington  was  formed  in  1751  of  the  churches  and 
ministers  living  in  this  territory  of  ours ;  but  the  First 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  was  substantially  identical 
with  that  of  Abington.  We  place  the  two  lists  together 
to  show  that  they  were  composed  of  the  same  men.  In 
the  minutes  of  the  Synod  in  1764,  two  years  after  the 
Second  Presbytery  was  formed,  the  roll  of  the  members 
of  the  First  Presbytery  was  composed  of  Gilbert  Ten- 
nent,  Richard  Treat,  Charles  Beatty,  Benjamin  Chesnut, 
Andrew  Hunter,  Daniel  Lawrence,  John  Brainerd,  Wil- 
liam Ramsey,  John  Clark  and  John  Griffith. — Records, 
p.  334.  But  the  Presbytery  of  xVbington,  according 
to  the  minutes  of  1755  and  1757,  contained  the  names 
of  Gilbert  Tennent,  Richard  Treat,  Charles  Beatty,  Ben- 
jamin Chesnut,  Andrew  Hunter,  Daniel  Lawrence  and 
William  Ramsey. — Records,  pp.  203,  277.  Thus  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  two  lists  are  precisely  identical, 
with  the  addition  of  the  three  names,  John  Brainerd, 
John   Clark  and  John  Griffith,  which  had  no  doubt 


184  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

been  afterward  made  to  the  Philadelphia  Presbytery. 
This  shows,  beyond  a  shadow  of  doubt,  that  the  Fh^st 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  was  simply  the  old  Presby- 
tery of  Abington  revived  and  enlarged. 

4.  Our  theory  stands  out  as  an  historical  fact  in  an 
incidental  way  in  the  following  action  of  the  Synod  in 
1770:  "The  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  reported, 
that  in  compliance  with  an  order  of  Synod  last  year, 
they  had,  in  conjunction  with  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Brunswick,  inquired  particularly  into  the  state  and 
connections  of  the  congregation  of  Allentown,  in  the 
Forks  of  Delaware,  and  it  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of 
both  Presbyteries,  that  it  is  at  present  most  subservient 
to  the  interests  of  religion  in  those  parts,  for  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  Brunswick  to  take  under  their  care,  not 
only  the  congregation  of  Allentown,  but  also  the  con- 
gregation of  Mount  Bethel,  both  of  which  are  in  the 
Forks  of  Delaware,  and  both  which  have  been  under  the 
care  of  the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia^  From 
this  it  appears  that  these  two  churches  on  the  boundary- 
lines  between  ours  and  the  Presbytery  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, and  in  the  most  distant  point  from  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  were  both  nevertheless  connected  with  the 
First  Presbytery,  which  must  consequently  have  been 
ours.  They  lay  in  the  territory  bordering  on  both  New 
Brunswick  and  Abington  Presbyteries,  which  were  orig- 
inally united,  and  both  belonged  to  us. 

5.  Still  another  similar  proof  have  we — a  proof  that 
is  without  a  flaw.  In  the  Synod's  minutes  of  1777  we 
find:  "A  Petition  from  the  congregation  of  Deep  Run, 
in  Bucks  county,  requesting  that  they  may  be  set  off 
from  the  Second  Presbytery,  and  put  under  the  care  of 
the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  was  brought  before 
the  Synod,  through  the  hands  of  the  Committee  of 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  185 

Overtures,  and  read.  The  Synod,  having  conversed 
upon  it,  do  grant  the  prayer  of  said  petition,  and  the 
F'irsl  Philadelphia  Presbytery  is  ordered  to  take  the 
care  of  that  congregation  for  the  future."  Deep  Run, 
then  a  part  of  Doylestown,  in  the  very  heart  of  our 
Presbytery,  which  for  some  reason  had  been  in  connec- 
tion with  the  city  or  Second  Presbytery,  was  committed 
to  the  care  of  the  Presbytery  in  the  midst  of  which  it 
was  located,  which  is  here  declared  to  be  the  First  Pres- 
bytery of  Philadelphia. 

6.  Another  fact  is  singularly  confirmatory  of  our 
position.  In  all  the  lists  of  our  Presbytery  which  we 
find  in  the  records  of  the  Synod  at  that  time  are  the 
names  of  ministers  of  churches  in  West  Jersey — namely, 
Nehemiah  Greenman  of  Pittsgrove,  Daniel  Lawrence 
of  Cape  May,  Andrew  Hunter  of  Cohansey,  Jacob 
Green  of  Deerficld,  William  Ramsey  of  Fairfield,  New 
Jersey,  and  John  Ih-ainerd,  missionary  to  the  Indians 
in  New  Jersey.  Now,  how  came  the  churches  of  West 
Jersey  to  be  connected  with  our  Presbytery,  and  not 
with  the  city  Presbytery,  which  was  nearer  to  them? 
How  came  they  to  leap  over  that  Presbytery,  and  unite 
with  ours,  which  was  more  remote  ?  How  but  that  ours 
beiny  the  olU,  the  First  Presbytery,  and  retaining  the 
succession,  and  these  Jersey  churches,  being  long  be- 
fore connected  with  it,  still  retained  their  old  relation  ? 
In  no  other  way  possible  can  this  very  significant  fact 
be  accounted  for. 

7.  Still  another  evidence  that  this  was  the  leading 
Presbytery  during  those  early  days  is  that  when,  at  the 
organization  of  the  General  Assembly,  the  two  bodies 
were  merged  into  one,  and  termed  the  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia,  our  branch  contained  three- fourths  of  the 
churches  which  entered  into  the  united  body.   The  actual 


186  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

numbers  were — the  city  portion,  or  old  Second  Presby- 
tery, furnished  four  churches,  one  of  which  was  that  of 
"  Great  Valley  ;"  and  our  portion,  or  that  of  the  orig- 
inal First  Presbytery,  furnished  seventeen  churches, 
ten  of  which  were  located  in  our  present  territory  and 
the  rest  in  West  Jersey. 

The  fact,  then,  is  absolutely  demonstrated.  By  all  the 
records  it  is  shown  that  in  those  days  we  were  the  First 
Presbytery ;  and  appropriately  so,  inasmuch  as,  up  to 
that  time  at  least,  this  was  the  focus  of  the  leading 
movements  of  the  Church.  We  were  surprised  when  in 
our  researches  through  the  history  of  the  Church  this 
fact  came  to  our  view,  but  the  most  careful  investigation 
has  taken  away  all  hesitation  in  announcing  it. 

Ours  was  therefore  the  first  so-called  First  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia,  and  so  continued  until  1787,  when  all 
the  Presbyteries  were  rearranged  preparatory  to  the 
formation  of  the  General  Assembly.  To  us  belonged 
the  chief  activities  of  the  Presbytery  until  we  were 
formed  into  the  Presbytery  of  Abington  in  1751;  we 
remained  under  that  name  nearly  up  to  1762,  when  we 
were  formed  into  the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia, 
by  which  name  we  were  designated  until  absorbed  in 
the  General  Assembly  in  1788. 

CURIOUS    DELIVERAlSrCES    OF    THE   SYNOD. 

As  we  have  read  through  the  annals  of  the  Presby- 
tery and  Synod  we  have  met  with  certain  things,  some 
of  them  instructive,  some  amusing,  and  all  interesting 
and  curious.  We  cannot  present  them  all,  but  they 
should  not  be  lost ;  as  specimens  we  give  the  following : 

1st.  Our  fathers  were  always  keenly  alive  to  the  im- 
portance of  increasing  the  numbers  of  the  ministry,  but 
never  unless  the  men  were  duly  qualified.    Accordingly, 


FORMATIVE  PEPJOD.  187 

in  1761  they  adopted  the  following  rules  :  "  It  is  enjoined 
that  every  preacher,  for  the  first  year  after  his  licensure, 
shall  show  all  his  sermons  to  some  minister  in  our  Pres- 
byteries on  whose  friendship  and  candor  he  depends, 

written  fairly  to  have  them  corrected  and  amended 

It  is  also  enjoined  that  they  preach  as  often  as  they  can 
before  stated  ministers,  that  they  may  correct  their  gest- 
ure, pronunciation,  delivery,  and  the  like.  And  it  is 
farther  enjoined  that  all  our  ministers  and  probationers 
forbear  reading  their  sermons  from  the  pulpit,  if  they 
can  conveniently." 

2d.  In  those  early  days,  when  everything  was  new 
and  unsettled,  the  Presbytery  was  very  careful  as  to 
who  should  be  permitted  to  preach;  and  so  we  find  it 
taking  this  action  in  1710;  "Upon  information  that 
David  Evans,  a  lay  person,  had  taken  upon  him  pub- 
licly to  teach  or  preach  among  the  Welsh  in  the  Great 
Valley,  Chester  county,  it  was  unanimously  agreed  that 
the  said  Evans  had  done  very  ill,  and  acted  irregularly 
in  thus  invading  the  work  of  ^he  ministry,  and  was 
thereupon  censured." 

3d.  It  w^as  never  imagined,  at  that  time,  that  pas- 
tors could  be  justified  in  i-estricting  their  labors  to  their 
own  particular  charges,  but  it  was  expected  that  they  all 
would  reach  out  beyond ;  and  so  in  1707  the  following 
rule  was  adopted,  a  rule  which  ought  to  be  in  force  at  the 
present  day :  "  That  every  minister  of  the  Presbytery 
supply  neighboring  desolate  places  where  a  minister  is 
wanting  and  opportunity  of  doing  good  offers." 

4th.  The  practice  of  deciding  important  questions  by 
the  casting  of  lots  after  prayer  Avas  not  uncommon  in 
those  early  days,  nor  did  the  Church  wholly  condemn 
it,  as  appears  from  several  deliverances.  In  1733  it 
was  enacted,  "  That  the  Synod  look  upon  the  practice 


188  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

of  submitting  of  congregational  affairs  to  the  decision 
of  a  lot,  though  accompanied  with  sacred  solemnity,  to 
be  unwarrantable,  inasmuch  as  lots  are  only  warrant- 
ably  used  to  decide  matters  that  can't  be  otherwise 
determined  in  a  rational  way ;  particularly  by  ap- 
plying to  higher  judicatories."  In  1734  also  it  was 
determined,  "  That  the  Synod  look  upon  the  obligation 
of  a  determination  of  a  difference  by  a  lot,  to  be  sacred 
and  binding  upon  the  conscience,  if  the  matter  so  deter- 
mined be  lawful  and  practicable,  and  consequently  to 
act  contrary  thereunto  must  be  a  very  great  sin."  But 
the  most  singular  case  of  all  arose  in  Tinicum,  one  of 
our  own  churches,  in  1750.  After  a  very  protracted 
discussion  a  decision  was  given,  of  which  the  following 
was  a  part :  "  The  Synod  came  into  the  following  con- 
clusion— viz.  That  whereas  the  congregation  of  Tehicken 
is  sadly  divided  about  the  fairness  and  obligation  of  a 
lot  made  use  of  by  them  for  the  determining  the  place 
for  their  meeting-house,  the  Synod,  after  a  full  hearing 
the  case,  came  unanimously  into  this  judgment — viz.  that 
though  they  do  by  no  means  discountenance  the  method 
of  ending  such  matters  of  controversy  by  lottery,  yet 
as  to  the  lot  under  debate,  the  Synod  is  of  the  opinion, 
that  it  was  fairly  cast,  and  consequently  binding  upon 
the  parties  concerned,  as  also  other  former  agreements 
said  people  have  solemnly  obliged  themselves  to ;  and 
the  Synod  doth  judge,  that  tliey  have  acted  very  sinfully 
who  have  broken  through  these  repeated  solemn  obli- 
gations, and  that  a  solemn  admonition  be  given  unto 
them  by  Mr.  Pemberton  in  the  name  of  the  Synod ; 
which  was  accordingly  done." — Records,  pp.  241,  242. 
5th.  The  simplicity  and  purity  of  early  days  may  be 
seen  in  the  decision  of  1729  concerning  lawsuits  between 
Christian  brethren:  "That the  Synod  do  bear  their  tes- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  189 

tiraony  against,  and  declare  their  great  dissatisfaction  at, 
the  religious  lawsuits  that  are  maintained  among  pro- 
fessors of  religion,  so  contrary  to  that  peace  and  love 
which  the  gospel  requires  and  the  express  direction  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  consequently  very  much  to  the  scandal 
of  our  holy  profession.  And  that,  therefore,  the  Synod 
do  recommend  to  all  the  ministers  within  our  bounds 
to  use  their  utmost  endeavor  to  bring  their  several  and 
respective  congregations  into  a  just  agreement  to  avoid  to 
their  utmost  all  unnecessary  lawsuits  for  the  future,  and 
to  refer  such  differences  as  cannot  be  easily  accommo- 
dated between  the  parties  themselves  to  some  prudent, 
religious  and  indifferent  friends,  if  it  may  be,  of  our 
own  profession,  mutually  chosen  by  the  contending  par- 
ties, or  otherwise  as  such  society  shall  think  best,  to 
decide  and  determine  such  dififerences.  Approved  ne- 
mine  contradicente.^' — Records,  pp.  95,  96. 

6th.  Occasionally  we  find  a  decision  that  would  star- 
tle some  in  modern  times,  as  the  following,  in  1708 : 
"  Ordered  by  the  Presbytery  that  there  be  a  letter  sent 
to  the  people  of  Snow  Hill,  requiring  their  faithfulness 
and  care  in  collecting  the  tobacco  promised  by  subscrip- 
tion to  Mr.  Hampton." — Records,  p.  11. 

7th.  A  good  rule  for  the  present  day  would  be  this 
of  1756 :  "  That  they  who  obstinately  refuse  to  pay 
their  pew-rents  are  to  be  esteemed  as  not  walking 
orderly,  and  do  in  fact  forfeit  their  pews ;  nor  is  it 
an  injury  done  them  by  the  congregation  if  they  are 
deprived  of  them." — Records,  p.  275. 

8th.  The  trying  state  of  the  country  in  Revolutionary 
times  was  manifested  in  the  minutes  of  1778,  as  follows  ; 
"The  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  met  at  Bed- 
minster,  Somerset  Co.,  New  Jersey,  in  consequence  of 
an  advertisement  in  the  newspapers,  by  the  Moderator, 


190  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

agreeably  to  the  advice  of  a  number  of  the  members, 
it  not  being  practicable  to  meet  in  Philadelphia  accord- 
ing to  the  adjournment  of  last  year,  as  that  city  is  now 
in  the  possession  of  the  enemy." — Records,  p.  479. 

9th.  In  those  days  they  were  keenly  alive  to  the  state 
of  piety  in  the  churches,  as  was  shown  by  a  deliver- 
ance of  the  Synod  of  1733 :  "  Ordered  to  use  some 
proper  means  to  revive  the  declining  power  of  godli- 
ness, the  Synod  do  earnestly  recommend  it  to  all  our 
ministers  and  members,  to  take  particular  care  about 
ministerial  visiting  of  families,  and  press  family  and 
secret  worship,  according  to  the  Westminster  Direct- 
ory, and  that  they  also  recommend  it  to  every  Presby- 
tery, at  proper  seasons,  to  inquire  concerning  the  dili- 
gence of  each  of  their  members  in  such  particulars.^^ 

10th.  But  the  most  significant  of  all,  as  revealing  the 
deep  spirituality  and  fidelity  of  the  fathers,  is  found  in 
the  following  action  prepared  by  Gilbert  Tennent,  the 
friend  of  Whitefield,  and  heartily  and  unanimously 
adopted  in  1784  :  "  The  Synod  does  also  seriously  and 
solemnly  admonish  all  the  ministers  within  our  bounds 
to  make  it  their  awful,  constant,  and  diligent  care  to 
approve  themselves  to  God,  and  to  their  consciences, 
and  to  their  hearers,  serious,  faithful  stewards  of  the 
mysteries  of  God,  and  of  holy  and  exemplary  conver- 
sations. 

"And  the  Synod  does  further  recommend,  unani- 
mously, to  all  our  Presbyteries,  to  take  efiectual  care 
that  each  of  their  ministers  are  faithful  in  the  dis- 
charge of  their  awful  trust.  And  in  particular,  that 
they  frequently  examine,  with  respect  to  each  of  their 
members,  in  their  life  and  conversation,  their  diligence 
in  their  work,  and  their  methods  of  discharging  their 
ministerial  calling.     Particularly  that  each  Presbytery 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  191 

do,  at  least  once  a  year,  examine  into  the  manner  of 
each  minister's  preaching,  whether  he  insist  in  his  min- 
istry on  the  great  articles  of  Christianity,  and  in  the 
course  of  his  preaching  recommend  a  crucified  Saviour 
to  his  hearers  as  the  only  foundation  of  hope,  and  the 
absolute  necessity  of  the  omnipotent  influences  of  the 
divine  grace  to  enable  them  to  accept  of  this  Saviour  ; 
whether  he  do  in  the  most  solemn  and  affecting  man- 
ner he  can,  endeavor  to  convince  his  hearers  of  their 
lost  and  miserable  state  whilst  unconverted,  and  put 
them  upon  the  diligent  use  of  those  means  necessary  in 
order  to  obtaining  the  sanctifying  influences  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  ;  whether  he  do,  and  how  he  doth,  discharge 
his  duty  toward  the  young  people  and  children  of  his 
congregation,  in  a  way  of  catechizing  and  familiar  in- 
struction ;  whether  he  do,  and  in  what  manner  he  doth, 
visit  his  flock  and  instruct  them  from  house  to  house. 

"  And  the  Synod  hereby  orders  that  a  copy  of  this 
minute  be  inserted  into  the  books  of  each  of  our  Pres- 
byteries, and  be  read  at  every  of  their  Presbyterial 
meetings,  and  a  record  of  its  being  read  minuted  in  said 
books  at  the  beginning  of  every  session ;  and  that  there 
be  also  an  annual  record  in  each  Presbytery-book  of  a 
correspondence  with  this  minute." — Records,  p.  111. 

11th.  It  is  in  place  here  to  testify  concerning  the  loy- 
alty of  our  Presbyterian  Church  to  the  cause  of  Ameri- 
can independence  in  the  Revolutionary  days,  when  the 
country  was  gasping  for  existence — when  loyalty  cost 
something  more  than  words — when  it  was  worth  some- 
thing— when  one  at  least  of  the  large  denominations 
sympathized  with  the  enemy — and  when  great  suffer- 
ings had  to  be  endured  in  order  that  our  land  might 
be  free.  We  have  not  space  to  give  even  specimens  of 
the  patriotic  deliverances  of  our  Synods,  and  of   the 


192  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

sacrifices  that  were  made  by  our  fathers.  Instead 
thereof  we  give  the  substance  of  the  story,  of  which 
we  may  well  be  proud,  in  the  language  of  Dr.  Hatfield, 
than  whom  no  man  was  more  familiar  with  the  subject 
or  better  qualified  to  testify :  "In  the  political  agita- 
tions that  convulsed  the  British  colonies  in  America  at 
that  time,  resulting  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution  and 
in  the  independence  of  the  United  States,  the  Presby- 
terian Church  was  a  unit  in  the  assertion  and  defence 
of  the  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and 
contributed  largely  toward  the  triumph  of  the  patriots." 


I 


CHAPTER  IX. 

FORMATIVE  PERIOD  (Continued). 

CHRONICLES    OF    THE   CHURCHES. 

Ix  entering  upon  the  annals  of  the  churches  a  few 
explanatory  words  are  necessary.  The  writer  fears 
that  he  may  disappoint  his  readers  in  presenting  the 
records  of  some  of  the  churches — they  may  not  be  as 
full  or  as  favorable  as  expected.  A  single  glance,  how- 
ever, will  satisfy  any  one  that  not  much  space  can  pos- 
sibly be  devoted  to  each  one  of  our  sixty  churches,  ^o 
more  than  such  salient  points  as  may  convey  an  outline 
of  each  church's  history  can  be  attempted.  But  all  such 
points  shall  be  presented  so  far  as  the  facts  can  be  ob- 
tained. The  leading  events  of  the  life  of  each  church, 
with  the  names  of  the  persons  taking  part  in  those 
events,  shall  be  given. 

Each  church  has  an  individuality  of  its  own — a 
something  by  which  it  may  be  distinguished  from  all 
others,  for  which  we  will  search  and  which  we  will  pre- 
sent when  in  our  power.  We  shall  strive  to  make  the 
history  a  thesaurus  of  whatever  is  most  important  in 
the  churches.  We  shall  dwell  very  much  more  fully 
on  such  general  subjects  as  were  of  equal  importance  to 
all  churches  and  all  individuals. 

We  cannot  but  anticipate  with  sad  certainty  that, 
after  all  our  honest  care,  a  future  revision  will  be  needed 
if  anything  like  perfection  in  narration  should  be  looked 

13  1V3 


194  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

for.    We  can  affirm  only  that  no  omission  or  exaggera- 
tions or  distortion  of  facts  will  be  intentional. 

BENSALEM    CHURCH. 

Most  appropriately  do  we  begin  our  journey  through 
the  annals  of  the  churches  of  this  old  Presbytery  with 
Bensalem,  which  is  without  a  doubt  the  oldest  of  them 
all.  The  first  years  of  most  of  those  early  churches 
are  more  or  less  obscure  on  the  page  of  antiquity ;  still, 
there  can  hardly  be  a  question  but  that  Bensalem  com- 
menced about  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Pres- 
bytery in  1705.  It  was  formally  organized  five  years 
afterward,  in  1710,  but  must  have  been  a  preaching- 
place  for  some  years  before.  Its  proximity  to  the  set- 
tlement of  Hollanders  who  at  an  early  period  formed 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
the  many  Dutch  names  found  among  its  original  mem-- 
bers,  would  indicate  that  a  large  part  of  its  families 
at  first  came  from  that  people.  It  was  undoubtedly 
organized  in  1710  with  nineteen  members,  with  the 
Rev.  Paulus  Van  Vleck  as  pastor,  and  with  four  elders, 
Hendrick  Van  Dyck,  Lunard  Van  De  Grift,  Stofile 
Van  Zandt  and  A.  Van  De  Grift. 

For  nearly  seventy  years  after  its  organization  we 
are  able  to  trace  its  history  with  tolerable  fullness 
through  the  succession  of  its  pastors  or  stated  supplies. 
After  that  for  a  long  time  it  seemed  to  be  in  a  declin- 
ing condition,  owing  largely  to  the  fact  that  the  farms 
in  its  neighborhood  passed  into  the  hands  of  people 
of  other  denominations.  For  nearly  forty  years  after 
1772  the  minutes  of  its  Session  were  either  not  kept  or 
have  been  lost,  and  consequently  we  know  nothing  of 
its  history  during  that  period. 

In  1817  it  emerges  again  into  light,  and  from  that 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  195 

time  we  are  able  to  trace  at  least  its  leading  events  up 
to  the  present  time.  From  the  above  causes  at  times, 
as  from  1840  to  1850,  the  church  had  to  struggle  hard 
for  continued  existence. 

On  June  13th,  1843,  a  branch  church  was  organized 
at  Centreville,  which  it  was  hoped  would  aid  in  sustain- 
ing the  parent  body.  This  was  supplied  by  Messrs. 
Newell,  Brough  and  others  for  a  time.  It  continued 
for  about  eighteen  years,  but  on  April  18,  1861,  it  was 
finally  dissolved,  its  building  passing  into  other  hands. 

Another  similar  effort  was  made  April  13,  1858,  by 
the  organization  of  a  church  at  Newportville  through 
a  committee  of  Presbytery.  This  was  one  of  the  out- 
lying districts  of  Bensalem,  which  it  was  believed  would 
be  strengthened  thereby.  No  building  was  erected,  but 
Messrs.  INIcMurray,  Burdett  and  others  held  services  in 
a  schoolhouse  for  several  years.  Instead  of  growing, 
however,  as  was  anticipated,  the  town  declined,  and 
after  a  time  its  interests  were  all  transferred  to  another 
locality. 

In  Aurora,  another  district  of  the  same  church,  still 
another  organization  was  effected,  May  2,  1861,  by  a 
committee  of  Presbytery.  For  this  a  small  church 
building  was  erected  in  the  neighborhood.  This  organ- 
ization passed  through  several  vicissitudes  and  had 
several  names.  Its  building  was  removed  subsequently 
to  Bridgewater,  and  ultimately,  twenty-five  years  after- 
ward, it  was  styled  the  church  of  Eddington.  This 
is  the  church  which  now  bears  that  name,  and  which, 
October  6, 1886,  was  organized — or  rather  reorganized. 
This  has  been  the  leading  church  of  the  Bensalem 
group  ever  since,  while  the  mother-church,  together 
with  the  original  building,  has  become  an  outpost  with 
occasional  services. 


196  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 


BUILDINGS. 

Very  rarely  do  we  have  such  accurate  descriptions 
of  the  origin  of  any  of  our  very  old  church  buildings 
as  we  have  of  that  of  Bensalem.  Somewhere  between 
1705  and  1710  the  lot  of  ground  on  which  the  j)res- 
ent  church  stands  was  conveyed  by  deed  of  Thomas 
Stevenson  to  Johannes  Vandegrift,  Johannes  Van 
Zandt,  Herman  Van  Zandt  and  Jacob  Weston  for  the 
building.  Then  the  structure  was  completed,  and 
on  May  2,  1710,  was  opened  for  the  worship  of  God. 
The  present  old  structure  is  not  the  original  one,  but 
was  in  after  years  erected  on  the  same  site. 

After  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  years,  the  Pres- 
byterian population  having  largely  decreased  in  the 
neighborhood,  an  effort  became  necessary  in  order  to 
keep  the  church  from  becoming  extinct,  and  another' 
building  was  erected  a  mile  or  two  distant^  at  Centre- 
ville.  This  effort  ultimately  failed  of  the  object  con- 
templated, and  after  eighteen  years  the  edifice  was 
abandoned  to  others. 

A  few  years  more  pass,  the  drift  of  the  population 
being  in  the  direction  of  the  Delaware  River,  and  still 
the  determination  being  strong  to  keep  up  the  old  Ben- 
salem church,  another  building,  a  small  frame  struc- 
ture, was  erected  in  1861  in  the  fields  between  the  river 
and  Cornwall's  Station  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad, 
which  was  called  the  Aurora  Presbyterian  chapel. 
After  about  eleven  years,  in  1872,  this  building  was 
removed  to  the  village  of  Bridgewater,  was  located 
between  the  turnpike  and  railroad,  and  named  the 
Bensalem  Presbyterian  chapel.  There  the  population 
was  much  greater,  and  the  prospect  of  increased  at- 
tendance undoubted. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  197 

After  about  thirteen  years,  in  1885,  the  number  of 
Presbyterian  fiimilies  having  greatly  advanced,  and 
tliey  being  able  and  willing  to  furnish  the  means,  a 
beautiful  new  church  edifice  was  erected  to  take  the 
place  of  the  former  one.  This  elegant  building  was, 
on  the  evening  of  December  1,  188(5,  dedicated  to  the 
worship  of  Almighty  God  amid  a  delighted  audience, 
one  of  the  members  of  the  Presbytery  taking  the  place 
of  Dr.  McCosh  of  Princeton,  who  was  to  have  preached 
on  the  occasion,  but  was  prevented  by  sickness.  It  is 
a  house  of  worship  that  may  well  be  gratifying  to  the 
Presbytery.  It  is  a  credit  to  both  the  liberality  and 
the  taste  of  the  residents  of  the  neighborhood,  by  whom 
it  was  erected.  As  seen  by  the  side  of  the  great  thor- 
oughfare between  Philadelphia  and  New  York  it  is  an 
object  of  romantic  beauty. 

PASTORS. 

The  list  of  pastors  in  this  church  for  the  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-eight  years  of  its  existence,  beginning 
with  1710,  is  as  follows:  Paulus  Van  Vleck,  1710,  one 
year;  — Van  Andrison,  1711,  eight  years;  Maligns 
Sims,  1719,  two  years;  William  Teunent,  1721,  three 
years;  Robert  Lenig,  1724  (there  are  no  records  for 
the  forty-eight  years  from  1724  until  1772)  ;  James 
Boyd,  1772,  forty-five  years  (pastor  of  Newtown  at  the 
same  time)  ;  J.  W.  Scott,  1823,  five  years  (also  j>astor 
of  Newtown  church)  ;  Alexander  Boyd,  1828,  eleven 
years  (pastor  in  Newtown)  ;  James  M.  Harlow,  1839, 
seven  years;  George  W.  Newell,  1846,  three  years  (stated 
supply)  ;  William  J.  Brough,  1849,  two  years;  George 
W.  Burroughs,  1851,   four   years;    Thomas  M.Gray, 

1855,  one   year  (stated  supply) ;    Joseph    McMurray, 

1856,  seven  years  (stated  supply)  ;  John  Wood,  1863, 


198  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

one  year  (stated  supply) ;  John  Fowler,  1864,  two  years 
(stated  supply)  ;  Samuel  R.  Anderson,  1866,  three 
years  ;  Thomas  B.  Van  Sycle,  1869,  one  year  (stated 
supply)  ;  James  B.  Stebbins,  1870,  one  year  ;  Michael 
Burdett,  1871,  thirteen  years ;  Francis  Heyl,  1884,  the 
present  pastor. 

Mr.  Van  Vleck  came  from  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Church,  and  preached  sometimes  in  the  Dutch  and 
German  languages,  as  well  as  in  the  English.  It  ap- 
pears that  occasionally  he  preached  through  the  sur- 
rounding country,  going  as  far  distant  as  to  Frankford 
and  Germantown. 

Mr.  Tennent  was  the  celebrated  founder  of  the  Log 
College.  His  services  in  Bensalem  continued  only  three 
years,  but  happy  were  that  people  in  being  permitted 
to  enjoy  the  ministrations  of  such  a  man  even  for  that 
brief  length  of  time. 

Mr.  Harlow  was  oi'dained  and  installed  July  2, 1839. 
During  his  pastorate  he  also  preached  statedly  at  Cen- 
treville.  Moreover,  it  was  through  his  earnest  efforts 
that  the  church  of  Bristol  was  commenced  and  finally 
organized. 

Mr.  Brough  was  ordained  and  installed  April  18, 
1849.  He  was  a  minister  of  great  worth,  and  since 
leaving  Bensalem  he  has  held  important  charges  in  the 
State  of  Ohio. 

Mr.  Burroughs  was  ordained  and  installed  August  4, 
1851.     He  afterward  entered  the  medical  profession. 

Mr.  Gray  was  son  of  the  eminent  Rev.  John  Gray, 
for  nearly  half  a  century  the  very  successful  pastor  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Easton,  Pa. 

Mr.  McMurray  served  this  group  of  churches  as 
stated  supply,  with  great  acceptance,  for  seven  years. 
Few  men  have  ever  been    more  faithful  and   beloved 


FORMATIVE  ri-AUOD.  199 

than  he  was,  both  there  and  in  other  charges,  both 
before  and  after. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  ordained  and  installed  August  9, 
1866. 

The  pastorate  of  Rev.  Michael  Burdett,  D.  D.,  was 
quite  remarkable.  He  was  installed  January  15, 1872. 
After  a  long  ministry,  first  in  the  Congregational 
church  in  Massachusetts,  his  native  State,  then  as  agent 
of  the  Home  Missionary  Society,  tlien  as  chaplain  in 
the  United  States  Army,  and  then  as  pastor  of  a  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Pennsylvania,  he  entered  upon  this 
field  when  he  wjis  sixty-seven  years  old.  Even  after 
that  age  he  served  here  with  great  energy  for  thirteen 
years,  and  resigned  when  he  was  eighty.  For  several 
of  the  first  years  he  labored  with  astonishing  energy 
and  success,  often  preaching  three  times  on  the  Lord's 
day,  and  that  in  places  miles  apart,  and  sometimes  pass- 
ing from  one  to  another  on  foot.  In  the  later  years 
increasing  age  made  his  labors  less  abundant.  It  should 
be  recorded,  to  the  honor  of  the  people  of  his  charge, 
that  when  infirmity  compelled  him  to  retire  from  the 
field,  they  made  provision  for  the  chief  support  of  him- 
self and  family,  until,  in  1888,  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 

Mr.  Heyl,  the  present  pastor,  was  installed  January 
18,  1887.  The  churches  were  highly  favored  in  hav- 
ing secured  the  pastoral  services  of  this  brother,  who 
had  previously  had  a  rich  experience  in  the  gospel 
ministry  as  a  missionary  for  ten  years  in  India. 

RULING    ELDERS. 

As  gathered  from  its  records,  the  list  of  ruling  elders 
who  have  served  this  church,  with  the  times  of  their 
installations,  is  as  follows:  Hendrick  Van  Dyck,  1710; 
Leonard  Van    Der  Grift,  1710;    Stoffel  Van   Zandt, 


200  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

1710 ;  A.  Van  Der  Grift,  1710 ;  John  Vandergrift, 
1823 ;  Robert  Wood,  1823;  John  Vansant,  1823;  Wil- 
liam Shippen,  M.  D.,  1823;  David  Walton,  1839; 
Joseph  Ashton,  1863 ;  Peter  Conover,  1866 ;  Jacob  M. 
Johnson,  1871 ;  Col.  James  R..  Snowden,  1871 ;  and  the 
present  elder,  George  H.  Henry,  1886.  With  great 
sadness  we  here  meet  the  gap  of  one  hundred  and  thir- 
teen years,  from  1710  to  1823,  during  which  we  find  no 
minutes  of  Session  to  guide  us. 

In  the  study  of  these  names  we  obtain  a  hint  which 
must  prove  of  valuable  suggestion.  They  are  names 
which  reveal,  without  a  peradventure,  that  they  are  of 
Dutch  origin.  They  tell  us  that,  to  a  certainty,  the 
church  was  founded  by  a  people  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
faith.  But  whence  came  that  people  at  such  an  early 
day,  and  to  a  locality  where  they  were  surrounded  by 
other  nationalities  and  isolated  from  any  large  body  of 
the  same  people? 

Through  the  researches  of  the  Rev.  D.  K.  Turner, 
to  whom  he  is  indebted  for  so  much,  the  writer  is  able 
to  answer.  It  is  a  touching  story.  Their  coming  was 
owing  to  the  ever-wakeful  humanity  of  William  Penn. 
On  one  of  his  journeys  of  benevolence  through  Holland 
he  fell  in  with  some  of  this  persecuted,  suffering,  but 
brave  people.  They  sighed  for  rest  from  the  never- 
ceasing  injuries  and  harassings  of  the  enemies  who 
opposed  them  and  their  religion.  He  pointed  them  to 
where  they  would  find  a  safe  asylum  in  the  far-away 
forests  of  his  Pennsylvania.  He  offered  them  a  home 
there.  That  little  colony  of  Reformed  Dutch  accepted 
the  refuge  offered  them  by  Penn,  hastened  to  it,  and 
located  here  in  the  region  of  Northampton.  They 
having  established  their  home  here,  were  followed  from 
time  to  time  by  others  of  the  same  faith  and  country, 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  201 

of  those  wlio  had  settled  in  Loug  Island  by  earlier 
immigrations. 

This  branch  of  them  in  Bcnsalem,  through  the  in- 
fluence of  eight  or  ten  Irish  Presbyterian  families  who 
had  come  into  the  neighborhood,  chose  to  e.stal)lish  our 
form  of  the  great  Presbyterian  faith.  They  selected 
this  spot.  They  erected  their  sanctuary  here  amid  the 
Friends  of  Pennsylvania,  and,  breathing  safely  and 
freely,  they  consecrated  it  as  their  Bensalem,  their 
Ben  Shalom — their  Son  of  Peace. 

Two  or  three  names  on  this  list  of  ruling  elders  should 
be  more  than  merely  mentioned.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  no  less  than  three  of  the  earliest  of  these  elders 
bore  the  name  of  Vandejrrift.  The  family  of  this  name 
was  probably  the  leading  one  in  the  formation  of  the 
church.  It  still  has  an  influential  place  in  the  con- 
gregation. Never,  probably,  was  there  a  period  in  the 
annals  of  the  church  when  some  one  of  the  six  gen- 
erations of  this  family  was  not  as  a  bulwark  to  their 
dear  old  "  Son  of  Peace."  Who  shall  say  that  God  is 
not  ever  true  to  his  covenant  and  his  Church  ?  Does 
not  piety  run  in  households  ? 

Col.  James  Boss  Snowden  is  another  greatly  honored 
name  among  the  eldership  of  this  church.  Of  the  old 
Presbyterian  family  of  Snowdens,  himself  long  known 
as  a  prominent  member  of  the  legal  faculty,  for  years 
director  of  the  United  States  Mint,  and  prothouotary  of 
the  courts  in  Philadelphia,  it  is  cheering  to  find  in  such 
high  jilaces  one  who  ^^as  always  consistent  with  his 
Christian  profession  and  true  to  his  Church  and  his 
God. 

GENERAL    FACTS. 

We  have  devoted  more  space  to  this  than  we  shall 
give  to  the  history  of  the  other  churches,  because  it  is 


202  PRESBYTERY  OF  TEE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

the  oldest  of  them  all;  because  it  has  passed  through 
so  many  changes  during  the  generations ;  because  it 
is  a  sort  of  introduction  to  all  the  rest ;  and  because, 
in  fact,  it  contains  a  group  of  no  less  than  five 
churches  —  namely,  Beusalem,  Centreville,  Newport- 
ville,  Aurora  and  Eddington.  It  had  a  bright  morn- 
ing, traveled  a  weary  journey,  suffered  a  long  eclipse, 
and  is  now,  in  one  of  its  oflPsj)ring,  beaming  out  in 
beauty  again. 

Several  things  are  now  promising  it  a  prosperous 
future.  Eddington,  the  present  centre  of  its  strength, 
is  in  an  admirable  location,  though  the  old  sanctuary  is 
almost  without  a  Presbyterian  congregation.  Many  ex- 
cellent families  have  recently  removed  into  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  new  edifice  and  have  greatly  strength- 
ened the  cause.  Its  present  pastor  is  devoting  to  the 
work  his  energies,  his  experience  gained  in  another 
department  of  the  kingdom,  and  his  Christian  zeal,  in 
such  a  manner  as  must  tell.  A  beautiful  and  attractive 
church-building  has  recently  been  put  up  by  the  liberal- 
ity of  the  people.  From  all  this  it  has  resulted  that  the 
church  is  in  a  most  flourishing  condition.  It  promises 
soon  to  be  among  the  strongest  of  our  congregations. 

NOKEITON   AND    PKOVIDENCE. 

We  have  been  much  perplexed  with  the  question 
whether  Norriton  (at  first  called  Norrington)  or  Bensa- 
lem  should  have  the  first  place  in  the  annals  of  our 
Presbytery.  It  is  certain  that  in  Norriton  we  have  the 
very  first  trace  of  a  Presbyterian  enterprise  within  our 
whole  bounds.  A  trustworthy  tradition  afiirms  that  a 
plot  of  ground  was  purchased  there  for  a  graveyard, 
forerunner  of  a  church,  in  the  year  1678 — no  less  than 
twenty-seven  years  before  the  founding  of  the  Presby- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  203 

tery.  At  any  rate,  a  deed  is  ou  record  to  that  effect, 
given  by  an  ancestor  of  David  llittenhouse.  It  also 
appears  that  a  Welshman  named  David  Evans  was 
preacliing  in  that  region  before  1705.  He  was  called  to 
account  by  Presbytery  in  1710  for  preaching  without 
proper  education  or  license,  was  put  in  a  course  of  train- 
ing under  three  designated  ministers  and  was  chosen 
clerk  of  Presbytery  in  1715.  At  the  same  time,  the 
church,  so  far  as  we  are  informed,  was  not  formally 
supplied  with  preaching  until  1714.  On  the  other  hand, 
we  have  the  record  of  Bensalem's  having  its  building 
finished,  its  church  established  and  its  pastor  installed 
in  1710,  while  there  was  undoubtedly  preaching  there 
before  that  time.  On  account  of  these  certainties  we 
have  given  the  first  place  to  Bensalem.  Norriton,  how- 
ever, has  a  claim  of  considerable  weight,  and  may  un- 
doubtedly stand  in  the  second  place. 

It  comes  to  light  with  certainty  that  in  1714  there 
was  stated  preaching  in  this  church  by  the  Rev. 
Malachi  Jones,  who  at  that  time  became  the  pastor  of 
the  church  of  Abington.  He  must,  therefore,  while 
pastor  of  the  latter  church  have  also  supplied  that  of 
Korriton.  At  that  time,  then — thai  is,  1714 — we  date 
the  commencement  of  Norriton  church,  though  un- 
doubtedly it  was  a  preaching-place  long  before. 

The  church  of  Providence — or  Lower  Providence, 
as  it  was  then  named — was  founded  sixteen  years  after- 
ward in  1730,  and  the  strange  plan  was  adopted  of 
holding  services  in  Norriton  during  the  winter  season 
and  in  Providence  during  tlie  summer.  A  great  relig- 
ious  awakening  pervaded  the  whole  region  in  1740  and 
for  some  time  afterward,  the  chief  human  agent  in 
which  was  the  Rev.  John  Rowland  of  Log  College 
fame.    This  great  evangelist  seems  to  have  been  blessed 


204  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

in  an  extraordinary  manner,  and  through  his  preaching 
the  cause  of  Christ  was  greatly  advanced.  Among 
other  glorious  results  of  this  revival,  especially  in  the 
Providence  church,  was  one  the  effects  of  which  were 
of  untold  benefit  to  our  whole  Church  and  country. 
It  was  that  the  grandfather  and  grandmother  of  the 
Rev.  Archibald  Alexander,  D.  D.,  long  the  honored  pro- 
fessor of  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  were  among 
its  subjects,  and  then  first  united  with  the  Providence 
church. 

In  1758,  at  the  time  of  the  reunion  after  the  Great 
Schism,  we  find  the  united  churches  going  by  the  name 
of  Norriton  and  New  Providence,  which  the  charge 
bore  for  many  years  afterward.  We  should  mention 
that  an  ancestor  of  the  devoted  Henrys  of  Germantown, 
also  the  brothers  and  sisters  Hamill  and  others  who 
have  done  such  blessed  service  in  our  Church,  were 
members  of  this  church. 

PASTORS. 

As  usual,  we  have  to  lament  that  the  names  of  so 
many  who  ministered  in  the  gospel  in  this  church  have 
been  lost;  at  the  same  time,  however,  an  honored  roll 
remains  which  is  as  follows :  Malachi  Jones,  1714,  for 
thirteen  years ;  David  Evans,  1727,  four  years ;  Rich- 
ard Treat,  1731,  ten  years  ;  John  Rowland,  about  1741, 
length  of  time  not  known ;  John  Campbell,  1747,  six 
years ;  Benjamin  Chesnut,  1756,  nine  years ;  David 
McCalla,  1744,  eight  years;  Wm.  M.  Tennent,  D.  D., 
1782,  thirty  years ;  Joseph  Barr,  1814,  three  years ; 
John  Smith,  William  Woolcott,  Joshua  Moore,  Thomas 
Eustice  and  C.  W.  Nassau  (these  five  brethren  served 
the  church  during  the  nineteen  years  after  1817,  but 
the  respective  dates  of  service  are  unknown);  Robert 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  205 

W.  Landis,  1836,  three  years;  Henry  L.  Rodenbaugh, 
1845,  until  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Jones  was  pastor  of  the  Abington  church  dur- 
ing thirteen  years,  but  also  supplied  the  Norriton  church 
during  the  same  period.  A  further  notice  of  him  will 
be  given   under  the  former  church. 

Mr.  Evans  was  the  minister  of  whom  we  have  al- 
ready spoken.  So  far  as  we  have  any  information,  he 
was  the  first  man  who  ever  preached  the  gospel  in  con- 
nection with  our  Presbytery. 

Mr.  Treat  was  also  pastor  of  the  Abington  church, 
but  in  addition  he  supplied  this  church  during  the 
years  of  his  ministry.  We  shall  have  occasion  to 
speak  of  him  also  hereafter. 

Of  Mr.  Rowland  we  have  already  spoken  as  one  of 
the  devoted  men  who  were  trained  in  learning  and  piety 
at  the  Log  College.  Concerning  him  it  is  unnecessary 
to  say  more  save  to  mention  that  the  chief  fields  of  his 
labors  were  Lawrenceville  and  Pennington,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  Norriton  and  Providence,  Pennsylvania. 

Concerning  Mr.  Campbell  a  most  remarkable  inci- 
dent is  upon  record.  On  the  last  day  of  his  public 
ministry,  when  reading  in  the  pulpit  the  one  hundred 
and  sixteenth  Psalm,  as  he  came  to  the  fifteenth  verse — 

"  Dear  iu  thy  sight  is  thy  saints'  death ; 
Thy  servant,  Lord,  am  I " — 

he  was  stricken  down  with  paralysis.  On  his  monu- 
mental stone  in  the  old  graveyard  of  the  church  are 
engraven  the  beautiful  and  appropriate  words : 

"  Iu  yonder  sacred  house  I  spent  my  breath ; 
Now,  silent  sleeping,  here  I  lie  in  death. 
These  silent  lips  shall  wake,  and  yet  declare 
A  dread  Amen  to  truths  they  uttered  there." 


206  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Mr.  Cliesnut's  name  is  often  found  as  a  prominent 
member  first  in  the  Presbytery  of  Abington,  and  then 
in  the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia. 

Dr.  Tennent  was  a  very  prominent  man  in  the 
Church  in  his  day.  He  was  son  of  Rev.  Charles  Ten- 
nent, youngest  of  the  four  sons  of  the  founder  of  the 
Log  College.  He  was  therefore  the  third  William 
Tennent.  So  far  as  we  know,  he  was  the  second  min- 
ister of  our  Church  who  received  the  honorary  title 
of  D.  D.  He  supplied  this  church  while  pastor  of  the 
church  of  Abington,  in  connection  with  which  we  shall 
have  more  to  say  of  him. 

Mr.  Nassau's  was  the  one  name  connected  with  the 
five  brief  terms  of  service  as  pastor  or  stated  supply 
between  1817  and  1836  that  is  well  known  in  the 
Church.  It  is  worthy  of  most  honorable  record  as 
connected  with  the  eminent  family  of  Nassau,  in  which 
there  were  so  many  ruling  elders,  ministers  and  mis- 
sionaries of  our  Church. 

Mr.  Landis  was  ordained  and  installed  December 
22,  1835.  He  remained  pastor  of  the  church  for  only 
three  years.  This  was  a  stormy  period  of  its  history, 
yet  no  less  than  eighty  souls  were  added  to  its  roll.  Mr. 
Landis  was  afterward  professor  in  the  Danville  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  Kentucky. 

RULING   ELDEES. 

So  far  as  it  has  been  preserved,  the  list  of  elders  who 
have  served  in  this  church  is  as  follows :  William  M. 
White,  1826;  Robert  Hamill,  1826;  Joseph  Henry, 
1826;  Robert  Getty,  1826;  John  Shearer,  1836; 
Joseph  Teany,  1836;  William  McHarg,  1836;  Mar- 
maduke  L.  Burr,  1838 ;  James  Smith,  1838 ;  Henry 
Loucks,    1838;    Noblet   Kelley,  1838;   John   Moyer, 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  207 

1861 ;  David  T.  Getty,  18G1.  All  these  have  been 
removed  by  death.  The  present  members  of  the  Ses- 
sion are — David  Custer,  John  Keyser,  John  Ritten- 
house  and  Benjamin  F.  Whitby. 

It  is  good  to  think  of  these  men  of  God  wlio  per- 
formed their  long  work  on  earth  so  well,  and  then  en- 
tered into  that  heavenly  rest  which  is  infinitely  longer. 
Two  of  them,  John  Shearer — Squire  Shearer,  whom  we 
used  to  meet  in  Presbytery  so  often — and  William 
McHarg,  a  noble  Scotchman,  both  served  the  church 
in  its  eldership  for  over  forty  years. 

Joseph  Henry  was  a  son  of  the  eminent  Alexander 
Henry,  known  for  so  many  years  in  Philadelphia  as 
leader  in  most  important  moral  and  religious  enter- 
prises. He  was  the  father  of  T.  Charlton  Henry,  elder 
in  the  First  church  of  Germantown,  and  the  grandfather 
of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Henry  of  our  Presbytery. 

John  Shearer,  for  over  forty  years  a  ruling  elder  in 
this  church,  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pa.,  March  2, 
1789;  removed  thence  into  Montgomery  county  in  1816. 
He  departed  this  life  August  19,  1873,  at  his  residence, 
three  miles  west  of  Norristown.  He  was  buried  in  the 
Church  Cemetery,  belonging  to  this  church.  In  early 
life  Mr.  Shearer  was  connected  with  the  German  Re- 
formed church,  known  as  the  Ridge  Church,  in  Chester 
county.  He  was  once  a  representative  in  the  State 
Legislature,  and  also  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Norri- 
ton  township. 

Robert  Haraill  was  one  whom  many  will  for  ever  call 
blessed.  He  was  father  of  the  three  brothers — the 
Rev.  Samuel  Haraill,  D.  D.,  the  Rev.  Hugh  Hamill, 
D.  D.,  and  the  Rev.  Robert  Hamill,  D.  D. ;  the  father- 
in-law  of  two  ministers,  and  the  grandfather  of  many 
ministers    and    missionaries,   among    them    the    Rev. 


208  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Joseph  E.  Nassau,  D.  D.,  of  Warsaw,  N.  Y.,  and  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Bell  of  Africa.  When  all  those  in  Law- 
renceville,  N.  J.,  in  Central  Pennsylvania,  in  New 
York  and  in  Africa,  whom  this  family  has  been  in- 
strumental in  gathering  into  the  kingdom,  shall  be 
numbered  as  God's  jewels,  how  brightly  shall  this 
sainted  man  shine  in  glory ! 

THE   CHUECH    AT    THE    PRESENT   TIME. 

The  Rev.  Henry  S.  Rodenbaugh  was  ordained  and 
installed  May  14,  1846.  He  has  consequently  been 
the  pastor  for  forty-three  years — the  longest  pastorate 
existing,  with  one  exception,  in  the  whole  region  in  or 
near  Philadelphia,  so  far  as  known  to  the  writer.  Dur- 
ing that  long  period  there  have  been  many  precious  sea- 
sons of  revival  in  the  church.  In  fact,  no  one  of  the 
forty-three  years  has  been  without  fruits  of  his  earnest 
and  untiring  labors. 

The  church  is  most  warmly  attached  to  its  pastor, 
giving  him  constant  proofs  of  its  unabated  affection. 
Most  rare  and  wonderful  is  it  that  this  church,  the 
second  on  our  roll,  should  still,  after  one  hundred  and 
seventy-four  years,  be  as  vigorous  and  useful  as  it  was 
in  its  first  energetic  years. 

ABINGTON. 

It  may  well  be  doubted  whether  any  church  can  be 
found  which  has  a  more  admirable  record  than  that  of 
Abington. 

In  fixing  the  date  of  the  commencement  of  this 
church  we  meet  with  no  difiiculty  or  uncertainty.  It 
was  organized  by  the  Rev.  Malachi  Jones  in  the  year 
1714  with  a  membership  of  sixty-five  persons,  and 
with    the    four    elders,    Benjamin    Jones,   Abednego 


► 


ABINGTON   PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.  Page  iog. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  209 

Thomas,  Stoffel  Van  Saint  and  Joseph  Bredeu.  It  must, 
therefore,  take  its  place  as  the  third  in  order  on  our  rolL 
It  is  a  remarkable  thing  that  a  church  of"  sueli  antiquity 
should  have  such  a  precise  record  of  its  origin. 

From  that  time  to  the  present  day  its  history  is  but  a 
record  of  uninterrupted  forward  progress.  It  was  only 
one  church  at  its  beginning,  but  on  the  territory  which 
it  then  occupied  there  are  now  six  churches,  all  prom- 
ising; lono;  lives  of  usefulness. 

The  one  thing  most  noticeable  in  the  history  of  this 
old  church  is  that  in  a  succession  of  pastors  extending 
through  a  period  of  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  years 
not  one  of  them  left  the  field  until  removed  by  death. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Steel  died  in  18G2,  the  last  of  that  hon- 
ored list. 

Among  the  many  things  which  conspire  to  give  Ab- 
ington  its  pre-eminence  are — that  it  has  measured  out 
the  great  age  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  years  ; 
that  it  has  had  as  its  pastors  and  children  so  many  emi- 
nent men  and  women  ;  that  it  has  passed  through  all 
these  generations  in  one  continued  course  of  steady  prog- 
ress and  beneficence ;  that  it  has  never  had  its  useful- 
ness crippled  by  humiliating  scenes  of  strife ;  that  so 
many  ministers  and  missionaries  have  sprung  from  its 
bosom  ;  that  it  has  spread  out  into  so  many  other 
churches,  while  its  own  strength  remains  unimpaired; 
and  that,  after  all  these  long  years,  it  still  has  as  fair  a 
prospect  of  usefulness  as  in  any  of  its  previous  genera- 
tions. Many  other  churches  can  rejoice  in  some  of 
these  elements  of  prosperity,  but  where  shall  we  find 
another  which  possesses  them  all  ? 

BUILDINGS. 

The  history  of  the  buildings  connected   with    this 
u 


210  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

church  is  almost  as  clear  as  is  that  of  its  organiza- 
tion. In  1719,  five  years  after  it  was  founded,  its 
first  house  of  worship  was  constructed  out  of  logs, 
and  was  the  first  building  for  a  Presbyterian  church 
in  Montgomery  county,  and  one  of  the  first  in  the 
State.  This  ^  log  structure  remained  for  seventy-four 
years,  when,  in  1793,  it  gave  place  to  an  edifice  of 
stone,  in  which  the  congregation  worshiped  for  many 
years.  This .  second  sanctuary  was  enlarged  and 
greatly  improved  forty  years  subsequently.  But  it, 
too,  was  removed  after  standing  forty-one  years  more, 
or  eighty-one  years  in  all,  and  in  1866,  while  Mr. 
Wi throw  was  pastor,  it  gave  place  to  the  fine  struc- 
ture, whose  steeple,  crowning  the  hills,  can  be  seen 
afar  for  many  miles. 

The  first  parsonage  was  built  while  Mr.  Treat  was 
the  pastor.  Mr.  Simon  Thomas  and  his  wife  donated 
to  the  church  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  which,  with 
the  old  stone  mansion,  is  so  well  remembered  by  all 
who  of  old  enjoyed  the  genial  hospitality  of  Dr.  Steel. 
The  present  spacious  and  beautiful  manse  was  erected 
about  1858,  in  the  latter  days  of  Dr.  Steel's  pastorate. 

PASTOKS. 

The  roll  of  the  pastors  of  Abington,  though  it  covers 
so  many  years,  does^  not  include  very  many  names. 
They  are :  Malachi  Jones,  1714,  fifteen  years ;  Rich- 
ard Treat,  1731,  forty-one  years;  William  Mackey  Ten- 
nent,  D.  D.,  1781,  thirty-one  years ;  William  Dunlap, 
1812,  six  years;  Robert  Steel,  D.  D.,  1819,  forty- 
three  years ;  John  L.  Withrow,  D.  D.,  1863,  five 
years ;  Samuel  T.  Lowrie,  D.  D.,  1869,  five  years ; 
Leighton  Wilson  Eckard,  1875,  the  present  pastor. 
The  five  of  these  brethren  first  named  all  died  while 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  211 

laboring  in  tbis  cliarge.  All  of  them  have  left  their 
impress  on  the  field. 

Concerning  the  early  years  of  Mr.  Jones,  his  educa- 
tion and  the  first  years  of  his  ministry  we  have  no  in- 
formation. From  his  name  we  infer  that  he  was  a 
Welshman,  probably  from  the  settlement  of  that  people 
in  the  neighborhood.  He  was  sixty-three  years  old 
when  he  commenced  his  ministry  in  Abington.  His 
pastorate  of  fifteen  years  was  uneventful.  He  must 
have  supplied  the  church  of  Norriton  through  it  all. 
He  died  in  the  field  and  in  the  harness  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight,  March  26,  1729. 

The  pastorate  of  Mr.  Treat  was  in  many  respects  the 
most  eventful  in  the  annals  of  the  church.  He  was  a 
young  man  of  only  twenty-four  when  he  commenced 
his  ministry,  and  was  ordained  as  well  as  installed  in 
Abington.  He  was  born  in  Connecticut;  he  was  a 
relative  of  Governor  Treat,  and  was  graduated  at 
Yale  College.  During  the  stormy  times  of  the  Great 
Schism  he  was  a  staunch  adherent  of  the  New  Side 
and  an  influential  member  of  the  Presbyteries  of  New 
Brunswick  and  Abington,  and  of  the  First  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia.  His  was  the  great  privilege  of  enter- 
taining Whitefield,  and,  more  than  once,  also  David 
Braiuerd.  He  had  the  sad  honor,  too,  of  preaching 
the  funeral  sermon  of  his  dearest  friend,  Dr.  Samuel 
Finley.  After  serving  the  church  of  Abington  for 
forty-seven  years  he  died  in  1778,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one. 

Mr.  Tennent  was  installed  in  1781.  He  was  the  son 
of  Charles,  the  youngest  of  the  four  sons  of  the  founder 
of  the  Log  College,  at  which  institution  he  was  graduated. 
His  wife  was  daughter  of  Dr.  Rogers  of  New  York,  so 
well  known  in  the  history  of  our  Church.    It  is  said  by 


212  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Dr.  A.  Alexander,  who  knew  him  well,  that  "  he  was  a 
man  of  great  sweetness  of  temper  and  politeness  of  man- 
ner, and  was  distinguished  for  his  hospitality.  His 
home  was  seldom  without  the  company  of  friends  and 
acquaintances."  He  received  the  honorary  degree  of 
doctor  of  divinity  from  Yale  College.  In  1797  he  was 
made  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  trustee  of  Princeton  College — a  good 
proof,  under  the  circumstances,  of  the  relationship  of 
that  institution  to  the  Los  College.  He  died  December 
2,  1810,  after  serving  the  church  for  twenty-nine  years. 
Concerning  his  death  Dr.  Alexander,  who  was  often 
with  him  during  his  last  long  illness,  wrote :  "  I  must 
say  that  I  never  saw  a  person  in  a  sweeter,  calmer,  hap- 
pier state  of  mind,  and  it  continued  for  many  weeks." 

Mr.  Dunlap  was  installed  July  22, 1812,  when  thirty 
years  of  age.  He  was  son  of  the  president  of  JeflPersori 
College.  His  pastorate  lasted  but  six  years.  He  died 
in  December,  1818,  aged  thirty-six  years. 

Dr.  Steel  was  a  man  very  dear  to  the  writer,  for 
through  him  it  was  that  he  was  first  introduced  to  his 
charge,  and  to  him,  while  yet  an  inexperienced  pastor, 
he  went  often  for  advice  and  comfort  in  his  perplex- 
ities. He  was  a  man  greatly  loved  and  honored.  He 
was  ordained  and  installed  September  9,  1819.  When 
young  and  but  recently  come  from  Ireland,  Dr.  Steel 
studied  under  the  eminent  Dr.  Wylie  of  Philadelphia. 
He  was  graduated  at  Princeton  College  in  1813  and 
studied  theology  under  the  celebrated  Dr.  John  M. 
Mason,  having  as  a  fellow-student  Dr.  George  Junkin. 
He  was  greatly  honored  and  trusted  by  the  Church, 
as  is  shown  by  the  many  offices  he  held — Trustee  of 
the  General  Assembly,  Trustee  of  the  Board  of  Do- 
mestic  Missions,   Trustee    of   Lafayette   College,   and 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  213 

President  of  Montgomery  County  Bible  Society.  In 
1846  he  received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  from  Jefferson 
College, 

No  man  was  better  known  or  more  warmly  beloved 
throuorh  all  the  reo;ion  where  he  lived  than  Dr.  Steel. 
The  hospitality  of  his  warm  heart  surrounded  him  with 
multitudes  of  the  most  closely  attached  friends.  It  was 
a  true  remark  of  Dr.  Gray  of  Easton  in  liis  funeral  ser- 
mon that  he  had  never  known  any  one  with  so  many 
sources  of  enjoyment  as  had  Dr.  Steel  from  his  many 
warm  friendships.  In  Presbytery  he  was  one  of  the 
most  untiring  workers.  He  was  always  ready  to  go 
anywhere,  to  engage  in  any  enterprise,  to  visit  any 
congregation  where  he  could  forward  the  cause.  Many 
a  time  did  it  put  the  younger  members  of  us  to  the 
blush  to  see  the  toils  he  would  undertake  even  when  he 
was  an  old  man.  It  was  because  he  loved  to  labor  in 
his  Master's  service. 

He  was  pastor  here  for  forty-three  years,  and  finally 
fell  asleep  in  the  midst  of  his  beloved  flock  Sept.  2, 1862. 
The  writer  had  the  unspeakable  privilege  of  being  at 
his  bedside  on  the  third  day  before  his  death,  and  can 
never  forget  his  parting  words :  "  When  I  was  first 
stricken  down,  and  realized  that  this  was  to  be  my  last 
illness,  I  was  not  satisfied  as  to  my  prospects  for  eter- 
nity. I  thought  over  all  ray  past — my  preaching,  my 
prayers,  my  labors ;  they  were  all  mingled  with  self 
and  did  not  give  me  rest.  I  was  forced  to  go  back,  as 
when  a  child  at  my  mother's  knees,  to  the  simple  theory 
of  Christ  as  my  all  in  all.  From  that  moment  I  have  not 
had  one  doubt  or  one  anxious  thought.  All  now  before 
me  is  as  clear  as  light.  If  the  choice  were  given  at  this 
moment  to  recover  or  to  sleep  in  death,  I  am  not  con- 
scious of  a  wish  one  way  or  other."     The  wife  of  Dr. 


214  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Steel  was  granddaughter  of  Dr.  Beatty  of  Log-College 
fame. 

Mr.  Withrow,  fresh  from  Princeton  Seminary,  was 
ordained  and  installed  May  20,  1863.  During  the  five 
years  of  his  stay  with  this  people  the  present  beautiful 
church-edifice  was  erected.  During  the  same  period 
many  were  received  into  the  membership  of  the  church. 
Receiving  a  call  from  the  Arch  Street  Church  of  Phil- 
adelphia, Dr.  Withrow  resigned  this  charge  Nov.  24, 
1868.  Subsequently  he  held  important  pastorates  in 
Indianapolis  and  in  Boston,  and  is  now  laboring  with 
great  acceptance  in  Chicago. 

Dr.  Lowrie  was  installed  May  27,  1869.  He  is  son 
of  the  late  Judge  Lowrie  of  the  Pennsylvania  courts, 
and  had  had  experience  as  a  pastor,  especially  of  the 
Bethany  Church  of  Philadelphia.  Whilst  in  Abing- 
ton  he  took  great  interest  in  establishing  the  branch' 
church  of  Jenkintown,  which  we  shall  notice  in  its 
proper  place.  May  18,  1874,  he  resigned  this  charge 
after  a  pastorate  of  five  years  of  successful  work  in  the 
church  and  efl&cient  service  in  the  Presbytery,  in  order 
that  he  might  enter  upon  the  duties  of  professor  in  the 
Western  Theological  Seminary  in  Alleghany. 

The  present  pastor,  Mr.  Eckard,  was  installed  May 
25,  1875.  He  came  to  this  charge  richly  qualified  by 
five  years'  successful  labor  as  a  missionary  in  China. 
He  has  now  been  in  the  field  thirteen  years,  and  the 
brightening  condition  of  the  church  opens  up  to  him  a 
prospect  of  many  happy  and  prosperous  years. 

EULING   ELDERS. 

The  names  of  the  elders  that  are  to  be  found  on  the 
Sessional  records  of  this  church  are  as  follows  :  Benja- 
min Jones,   1718 ;    Abednego  Thomas,  1718 ;    Stofiel 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  215 

Van  Zant,  1718;  Joseph  Bretlen,  1718;  John  Ehodes, 
1796  ;  Archibald  Wilson,  1807  ;  Archibald  McLean 
and  Capt.  Thorburne  (pastorate  of  Dr.  Treat) ;  John 
Morrison,  1816;  Baker  Barnes,  1816;  Jacob  Benner, 
1816  ;  L.  Leech,  1826  ;  Robert  Barnes,  1826  ;  Silas 
Yerkes,  1826;  James  Wyman,  1833;  Chas.  C.  Beatty, 
M.  D.,  1833;  Joseph  P.  Moorehead,  1850;  George 
Hamil,  1870  ;  George  S.  Yerkes,  1870  ;  David  Cherry, 
1882. 

The  following  are  the  present  members  of  the  Session : 
George  S.  Mann,  1861  ;  Albert  ]\[ann,  1870;  John  C. 
Hunter,  1880;  James  Van  Horn,  1882  ;  John  D.  Flem- 
ing, 1882 ;  William  Yerkes,  1882  ;  Bobert  Stevenson, 
1887. 

From  this  list  of  good  and  true  men  of  God  there 
are  several  most  important  lessons  that  we  should  learn. 
Among  these  men  are  clearly  seen  the  original  elements 
composing  this  church,  and  they  seem  to  be  of  the  very 
best  that  constituted  the  population  of  the  country. 
Jones  reveals  the  Welsh,  Abednego  Thomas  the  New 
England,  Van  Zant  the  Dutch,  and  Wilson  and  Mc- 
Lean the  Scotch-Irish. 

Charles  Beatty,  M.  D.,  was  grandson  of  the  Bev. 
Charles  C.  Beatty  of  the  Log-College  fame,  and  brother 
of  Mrs.  Steel.  During  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he 
resided  in  the  parsonage  with  Dr.  Steel  and  family,  and 
no  one  ever  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  that  blessed 
household  without  retaining  a  happy  memory  of  the 
dignified  Christian  courtesv,  the  tender  regard  for  • 
the  feelings  of  others  and  the  intelligent  piety  of  Dr. 
Beatty. 

Three  elders  of  the  Yerkes  name — a  father  and  two 
sons — are  upon  this  roll.  This  brings  before  us  an 
illustration  of  God's  unfailing  faithfulness  to  his  cove- 


216  PBESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

nant.  Silas,  the  patriarchal  father,  was  himself  the 
descendant  of  a  godly  ancestry.  He  and  his  devotedly 
pious  wife  had  a  family  of  nine  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. Of  the  nine  sons,  two  died  in  infancy,  and  all  the 
remaining  sons,  save  one,  became  elders  in  Presbyterian 
churches — Samuel  M.  in  the  church  of  Howell,  Michi- 
gan; J.  Keith  in  the  church  of  Frankford  ;  Isaac  in  the 
church  of  Neshaminy,  Warminster ;  Silas,  Jr.,  in  the 
church  of  Downingtown ;  and  both  William  and  George 
in  this  church  of  Abington,  the  church  of  their  fathers. 
Need  we  more  than  this  sight  of  six  brothers,  elders, 
the  sons  of  an  elder,  to  convince  us  that  the  covenant 
stands  sure? 

Of  George  Y.  Mann,  the  senior  elder  of  the  church, 
and  of  his  cousin  Albert  E..  Mann,  we  would  also  make 
honorable  mention,  as  we  would  of  several  others  of  the 
list,  but  we  have  neither  the  needed  information  nor  the 
space,  and  must  here  close  our  grateful  task. 

INTERESTING   FACTS. 

From  a  glance  over  the  roll  it  will  be  seen  that  in  the 
whole  history  of  this  church,  covering  a  period  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy-four  years,  it  has  had  but  eight 
pastors.  This  makes  an  average  pastorate  of  no  less 
than  twenty-seven  years  for  each  of  them — a  fact  worthy 
of  admiration  from  our  whole  Church. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  the  fact  that  no  less  than 
six  Presbyterian  churches  are  now  to  be  found  on  the 
territory  which  was  originally  covered  by  this  one  alone. 
These  six  are,  Huntingdon  Valley,  Edge  Hill,  Jenkin- 
town,  Ashbourne,  Fox  Chase,  and  the  mother-church. 
By  it,  then,  these  more  than  eightscore  years  have  not 
been  spent  in  vain. 

Of  ministers,  missionaries  and   other  eminent  men 


[F;  ff!  w„  re  IKl A K  n.. rr  ■'*,   fP, fF S.Yrv.. 


FORMA  TIVE  PERIOD.  2 1  7 

and  women,  this  cliurch  has  sent  forth  a  goodly  array. 
Among  them  we  may  name — the  Rev.  Josepli  Traville, 
missionary  to  Singapore ;  the  Rev.  Jolin  Newton,  M.  D., 
missionary  to  India;  the  Rev.  Charles  Beatty,  mission- 
ary to  India;  Mrs.  Jane  Van  Zant  Martin,  wife  of 
President  Martin  of  the  Imperial  University,  Peking, 
China;  Mrs.  Sarah  W.  Newton,  wife  of  Dr.  John 
Newton,  India ;  the  Rev.  Stephen  Yerkes,  D.  D.,  pro- 
fessor in  Danville  Seminary,  Ky. ;  Mrs.  Mary  P.  Jan- 
vier, missionary  to  India;  the  Rev.  Joseph  Stevens, 
D.  D.,  Jersey  Shore,  Pa. ;  the  Rev.  George  D.  Stewart, 
D.  D.,  Fort  Madison,  Iowa ;  the  Rev.  John  L.  Stewart, 
D.  D.,  Towanda,  Pa.  ;  the  Rev.  Alfred  Rogers,  professor 
at  Danville,  Ky. ;  Joel  K.  ]\Iann,  Esq.,  member  of  Con- 
gress from  Pennsylvania;  Nathaniel  B.  Boileau,  Esq., 
Secretary  of  State  of  Pennsylvania;  John  Stevens, 
Samnel  Leech,  George  Hamill,  William  F.  Moore  and 
John  J.  C.  Harvey,  members  of  the  Legislature  of  Penn- 
sylvania; Moore  Stevens  and  John  M.  Fenton,  both 
treasurers  of  Montgomery  county.  It  thus  appears  to 
have  been  eminently  a  missionary  church  and  a  church 
of  honored  sons. 

Among  other  noted  events  connected  with  this  con- 
gregation we  may  record  tlie  following :  "  It  was  honored 
and  greatly  blessed  by  a  visit  in  1740  from  George 
Whitefield,  who  preached,  it  is  said,  to  an  audience  of 
at  least  three  thousand.  The  devoted  missionary  to  the 
Indians,  Rev.  David  Brainerd,  as  well  as  his  brother 
John,  visited  it  on  several  occasions,  and  no  doubt  left 
an  impress  on  all  its  future  missionary  character."  Its 
second  pastor,  a  warm  friend  of  Dr.  Sanniel  Finley, 
of  Log  College,  Nottinjiham  Academv  and  Princeton 
College  fame,  preached  his  funeral  .sermon,  and  was  laid 
beside  him  in  the  old  Abington  graveyard. 


218  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO  COLLEGE. 

One  most  beloved  and  honored  name  must  be  dwelt 
on  here — that  of  the  Rev.  James  Read  Eckard,  D.  D., 
father  of  Abington's  present  pastor.  As  he  spent  his 
last  years  in  the  family  of  his  son,  and  as  a  member 
of  this  Presbytery,  his  proper  place  of  remembrance  is 
in  this  connection. 

Where  shall  we  find  a  richer  memory  than  that  of 
Dr.  Eckard,  the  grandson  of  a  noble  patriot  who  was 
an  active  agent  in  the  battles  of  the  Revolution ;  a 
member  for  four  years  of  the  Philadelphia  bar — the 
Philadelphia  attorney  for  advocating  at  Harrisburg  the 
establishment  of  our  present  public  school  system ; 
abandoning  the  bar,  the  theological  student  at  Prince- 
ton Seminary  ;  for  ten  years  a  successful  missionary  in 
Ceylon  ;  principal  of  the  Chatham  Academy  in  Savan- 
nah, Georgia ;  pastor  for  ten  years  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  Washington ;  professor  for  ten 
years  in  Lafayette  College  ;  spending  the  happy  evening 
of  his  beautiful  and  useful  Christian  life  in  literary 
work  in  the  parsonage  of  Abington  with  his  son ;  and 
then  sweetly  falling  asleep  in  Jesus,  being  instantly 
carried  above,  in  his  eighty-third  year? 

The  extreme  modesty  of  Dr.  Eckard  was  such  that 
even  his  friends,  much  less  the  Church  at  large,  could  not 
know  his  great  worth.  His  spirit,  instinctively  loyal  to 
all  that  pertained  to  Christ  and  his  cause,  could  not  but 
make  him  true  and  good  and  useful.  His  gentle,  warm, 
but  intense  affection,  as  well  as  his  fine  attainments, 
have  placed  his  memory  among  the  tenderest  and  most 
valued  of  the  writer's  life. 

Notwithstanding  its  great  age  and  the  many  youth- 
ful branches  that  have  sprung  from  it,  the  old  mother 
church  is  still  pursuing  its  onward  course  of  useful 
progress.     The  attendance  at  all  its  services,  its  gifts  to 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  219 

the  cause  of  Christ,  and  its  good  works  at  home  were 
never  more  abundant  than  at  present.  Its  pastor, 
happy  in  tlie  loyal  affection  of  his  people,  strong  in 
their  co-operation  and  devoted  with  them  in  zeal  for 
the  ctiuse,  may  well  "  thank  God  and  take  courage." 

NESHAMINY    OF    WARWICK. 

It  is  evident  that  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  founders  of 
this  church  were  either  themselves  Presbyterians  from 
the  North  of  Ireland  or  the  descendants  of  such  men. 
If  there  was  no  other  evidence  of  this  fact  their  names 
alone  would  reveal  it.  There  is  no  mistaking  the  origin 
of  the  names  Jamison,  Carr,  Mearns,  Grier,  McKinstry, 
Hart  and  many  others. 

This  was  doubtless  a  preaching-place  at  an  earlier 
period,  but,  inasmuch  as  we  have  no  record  to  that 
effect,  we  must  place  the  date  of  the  founding  of  the 
church  in  1726,  when  Tennent  commenced  his  minis- 
trations there.  There  can  hardly  be  a  question  but  that 
Mr.  Van  Vleck  of  Bensalem,  who  seems  to  have  been 
a  sort  of  missionary  throughout  that  whole  region, 
would  frequently  preach  to  the  people  who  afterward 
constituted  this  congregation. 

We  fix  the  date  of  its  commencement,  however,  as 

1726.  That  Mr.  Tennent  was  the  agent  there  is  not  a 
doubt.  A  note  in  the  valuable  work  of  Mr.  Turner  on 
the  Neshaminy  Church  makes  this  certain  :  "  Mr.  Ten- 
nent may  have  gathered  and  organized  the  church.  A 
stone  now  in   the  graveyard  wall  has  on  it  the  date 

1727.  This  same  stone  was  once  in  the  old  church  in 
which  Mr.  Tennent  preached,  and  probal)]y  indicates 
the  date  when  the  first  house  of  worshij)  was  built.  It 
is  quite  probable  that  the  church  organization  was 
formed  either  that  year  or  the  year  before." 


220  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

From  that  time  forward,  for  fifteen  years,  the  progress 
was  steady,  and  under  the  great  revival  influences 
rapid,  until  the  time  of  the  schism,  when  there  arose 
commotions  and  misunderstanding,  and  for  a  short 
time  there  was  a  division  into  two  branches.  Soon, 
however,  the  breach  was  healed,  the  sections  came 
together  and  the  church  moved  on  harmoniously  for 
eighty  years,  when  the  great  division  of  Old  and  New 
School  convulsed  it  to  its  very  depths.  Then  it  again 
became  divided  into  two  separate  branches. 

Into  the  controversy  between  the  Schools  we  shall  not 
enter,  either  here  or  in  any  other  connection.  For  our 
present  purpose  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  in  the  Ne- 
shaminy  Church  a  plan  of  amicable  separation  was 
finally  adopted  which  to  us  seems  to  have  been  admi- 
rable. The  substance  of  it  was  in  these  words  :  "  The 
church  and  grounds  thereunto  attached  to  be  sold  at 
public  sale  on  the  21st  day  of  October  next  (1841),  the 
bidders  to  be  the  respective  claimants  in  this  suit.  The 
purchasers  to  pay  the  other  party  one-half  of  the  pur- 
chase-money within  sixty  days  thereafter,  when  full  and 
entire  possession  is  to  be  delivered  to  the  purchasers  of 
the  church  and  the  church  lot.  The  graveyard  is  to 
remain  in  common  for  ever  to  these  and  their  descend- 
ants and  their  successors,  to  those  who  have  a  right  to 
bury  there  at  this  time,  each  party  to  employ  their  own 
sexton.  The  personal  property  to  be  equally  divided. 
The  act  of  incorporation  to  follow  the  building." 

This  plan  was  carried  out  to  the  letter  ;  the  property 
was  purchased  by  the  New  School  party  for  six  thou- 
sand dollars,  one-half,  or  three  thousand  dollars,  of 
which  was  given  to  the  Old  School.  Accordingly,  the 
New  School  brethren  retained  the  property,  the  deed  of 
incorporation,  and  consequently  the  succession.  The  Old 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  I'll 

School  party,  with  the  amount  which  they  had  obtained 
iu  the  division  of  the  property,  and  with  additional 
amounts  which  they  collected,  built  in  1842  the  neat 
edifice  which  they  still  occupy  in  llartsville,  the  neigh- 
boring village.  The  New  School  took  the  name  of  Ne- 
shaminy  of  Warwick,  and  connected  themselves  with 
the  Third  Presbytery  of  Pliiladelphia ;  the  Old  School, 
that  of  Neshaminy  of  Warminster,  and,  forming  into  a 
separate  church,  continued  the  connection  with  the  Sec- 
ond Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  thus  retaining  the  eccle- 
siastical succession.  These  distinctive  names  were  adopted 
because  of  the  townships  in  which  the  churches  were 
respectively  located.  Such  a  final  equitable  and  peace- 
able separation  of  a  church  with  its  property  it  would 
be  very  difficult  to  find  in  the  annals  of  any  Church  or 
denomination.  Both  churches  have  gone  harmoniously 
onward,  and  have  both  been  blessed  of  God  during  the 
half  century  that  has  since  passed  away. 

Up  to  the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
1838  the  history  of  the  Neshaminy  churches  was  one ; 
after  that  date  each  church  must  receive  an  independent 
notice. 

BUILDINGS. 

The  first  church-edifice  of  this  congregation  was 
built  in  1727,  at  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Tennent's  min- 
istry. This  was  their  house  of  worship  until  the  time 
of  the  Great  Schism  in  1741,  after  which  it  was 
still  used  by  some  of  the  Old  Side  party,  while  those 
of  the  New  Side,  under  Mr.  Beatty,  put  uj)  a  new 
building  which  has  stood  ever  since.  After  the  breach 
was  healed  the  old  Tennent  building  stood,  partly  de- 
serted, for  many  years,  and  at  length,  in  171)2,  it  was 
taken  down  and  its  material  used  in  constructing  the 
graveyard  wall. 


222  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

The  following  clause  was  contained  in  the  deed  for  the 
ground  purchased  as  a  graveyard  and  for  the  erection 
of  the  church-edifice :  "  It  was  to  be  held  by  the  trus- 
tees and  their  successors  as  a  site  for  a  meeting-house 
and  any  other  building  necessary  for  the  worship  of 
God,  and  as  a  place  of  interment  for  those  only  who 
'  owned  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  doc- 
trine and  worship  and  discipline  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland,  as  set  forth  in  the  Westminster  Confession 
of  Faith,  Catechism,  and  Directory  for  Worship  and 
Discipline,  and  also  believing  and  owning  the  late 
work  that  hath  appeared  in  this  land.  New  England 
and  Scotland  in  calling  sinners  to  repentance  to  be 
the  work  of  God.'  No  other  person  should  ever  be 
permitted  to  hold  oflEice  in  the  church  meeting  there." 

The  second  church-edifice,  which  is  still  used,  was  erect- 
ed in  1743,  enlarged  in  1775,  improved  again  in  1787, 
and  in  1842  thoroughly  renovated  at  a  cost  of  two  thou- 
sand dollars,  so  as  to  bear  its  present  beautiful  appearance. 

For  many  of  the  early  years  of  this  church  there 
stood  a  session-house  in  the  general  enclosure  of  the 
property.  In  1849  a  lecture-room  was  built  in  the 
neighboring  village  of  Hartsville,  and  was  used  for  sev- 
eral years  afterward.  In  1872  there  was  opened,  with 
very  impressive  services,  the  present  beautiful  "chapel  in 
the  cemetery  "  for  the  convenience  of  funeral  processions 
and  the  performance  of  religious  services  at  funerals. 

The  church  never  before  having  owned  a  manse,  the 
present  very  fine  building  for  that  purpose  was  pur- 
chased in  1873,  and  has  been  a  comfortable  home  for 
the  pastor  ever  since. 

THE    PASTOES. 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  the  list  of  the  pastors 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  223 

of  this  church  forms  a  roll  of  highly  honored  names, 
some  of  them  well  known  throughout  our  whole 
Church.  For  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  years  they 
were  the  pastors  of  the  one  united  church,  and  may  be 
justly  claimed  by  both  branches.  It  is  wortiiy  of  re- 
mark that  of  the  eight  ministers  who  have  served  this 
church  during  its  whole  history,  three  had  the  distinc- 
tion-of  having  been  connected  with  the  Log  College. 
The  list  of  the  pastors,  with  the  commencement  and 
length  of  the  time  of  their  service,  is  as  follows :  Wil- 
liam Tennent,  Sr.,  1726,  sixteen  years ;  Charles  C. 
Beatty,  1743,  twenty-nine  years;  Nathaniel  Irwin, 
1774,  thirty-eight  years;  Robert  B.  Belville,  1813, 
twenty-five  years;  James  P.  Wilson,  D.  D.,  1839,  eight 
years;  Douglas  K.  Turner,  1848,  twenty-five  years; 
William  E.  Jones,  D.  D.,  1873,  eleven  years ;  Wil- 
liam K.  Preston,  1885  to  the  present  time.  In  looking 
over  the  dates  of  these  pastorates  it  will  be  noticed  that 
the  intervals  between  them  were  very  short,  showing 
that  great  harmony  of  sentiment  has  reigned  in  this 
church  throughout  its  entire  history. 

The  name  of  Mr.  Tennent,  with  the  influence  of 
his  seminary  in  forming  the  character  of  our  whole 
Church,  sheds  the  brightest  lustre  upon  this  church  of 
which  he  was  the  first  minister.  It  seems  that  he  was 
never  formally  installed  as  pastor  of  the  church,  though 
he  served  it  as  such  for  sixteen  years.  This  may  have 
been  because,  the  duties  of  his  school  being  his  chief 
work,  he  was  too  conscientious  to  take  on  him  the  ad- 
ditional obligations  and  charge  of  the  pastoral  work. 
He  must  have  been  an  influential  member  of  the 
Synod,  since  in  1730  he  wius  elected  its  Moderator. 
Of  him  Dr.  Alexander  has  given  the  following  calm 
and  carefully- weighed  judgment :    "  The  Presbyterian 


224  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Church  is  probably  not  more  indebted  for  her  prosper- 
ity and  for  the  evangelical  spirit  which  has  generally 
pervaded  her  body  to  any  individual  than  to  the  elder 
Tennent." 

After  serving  the  church  for  about  sixteen  years,  he 
felt  constrained,  through  failing  health,  to  resign  the 
work.  Subsequently,  he  lived  on  for  a  few  years,  hav- 
ing ceased  from  all  labors,  and  entered  into  his  eternal 
rest  and  reward  May  6,  1745,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two.  His  grave,  covered  by  a  weather-beaten  horizon- 
tal slab,  is  in  the  old  Neshaminy  graveyard,  and  be- 
side his  the  grave  of  his  good  and  faithful  wife. 

Of  Mr.  Beatty  little  more  need  be  said  in  addition 
to  the  sketch  of  his  life  which  we  have  already  given. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  worthy  sons  of  the  Log  Col- 
lege. The  time  and  circumstances  of  his  installation 
as  pastor  of  this  church  we  give  in  the  phraseology  of 
the  old  record :  He  "  was  ordained  to  this  congregation 
of  Warwick,  in  ye  forks  of  Neshaminy,  December  1, 
1743,  and  was  to  have  for  a  yearly  support  in  his  min- 
istry among  us  the  sum  of  sixty  pounds."  This  con- 
tinued to  be  the  salary  for  twenty  years,  when  it  was 
increased  to  one  hundred  pounds. 

He  was  an  ardent  patriot,  and  ready  to  expose  him- 
self to  danger  and  severe  toil  in  defence  of  his  country. 
Again  and  again  did  he  face  all  the  fatigues  and  trials 
of  a  chaplain's  life  in  the  wars  of  the  country  with 
the  Indians  as  instigated  and  led  by  the  French. 
On  one  of  these  campaigns  his  colonel  was  Ben- 
jamin Franklin,  who  relates  this  amusing  incident  of 
Beatty :  "  We  had  for  our  chaplain  a  zealous  Presby- 
terian minister,  Mr.  Beatty,  who  complained  to  me  that 
the  men  did  not  generally  attend  his  prayers  and  ex- 
hortations.    When  they  enlisted  they  were  promised, 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  225 

besides  pay  and  provisions,  a  gill  of  nun  a  day,  wliieli 
was  punctually  served  out  to  them,  half  in  the  morn- 
ing and  half  in  the  evening,  and  I  observed  that  they 
were  punctual  in  attending  to  receive  it;  upon  which 
I  said  to  Mr.  Beatty,  '  It  is  perhaps  below  the  dignity 
of  your  profession  to  act  as  the  steward  of  the  rum. 
but  if  you  were  to  distribute  it  out,  only  just  after 
prayer,  you  would  have  them  all  about  you.'  He 
liked  the  thought,  undertook  the  task,  and,  with  the 
help  of  a  few  hands  to  measure  out  the  liquor,  exe- 
cuted it  to  satisfaction ;  and  never  were  prayers  more 
generally  and  more  punctually  attended.  So  that  I 
think  this  method  preferable  to  the  punishment  in- 
flicted by  some  military  laws  for  nonattendance  on 
divine  service." 

Mr.  Beatty  was  deeply  interested  in  the  conversion 
of  the  Indians ;  he  spent  considerable  time  in  visiting 
them,  and  was  a  warm  friend  of  their  great  apostle 
David  Brainerd. 

In  1772  he  accepted  an  appointment  by  the  trustees 
of  Princeton  College,  of  which  he  was  himself  one,  to 
go  to  the  West  Indies  to  collect  funds  there  from  the 
wealthy  English  residents  for  that  institution.  While 
in  the  Island  of  Barbadoes  on  that  mission,  he  fell  a 
victim  to  the  yellow  fever,  August  13,  1772,  after  he 
had  served  the  church  for  twenty-nine  years. 

The  family  of  this  devoted  pastor  was  so  remarkable 
an  illustration  of  God's  faithfulness  to  his  covenant 
that  we  quote  the  following  record  by  Mr.  Turner : 
"  Of  but  few  families  could  so  much  be  told  that  is 
praiseworthy  and  that  merits  being  perpetuated  in  the 
annals  of  the  past.  Four  of  his  sons  were  officers  in 
the  army  during  the  Revolutionary  struggle  with 
Great  Britain.     Of  eight  children  who  reached  mature 

15 


226  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO   COLLEGE. 

age,  all  but  one  were  hopefully  pious  and  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church ;  and  three,  John,  William 
and  Reading,  were  ruling  elders.  Several  of  his  sons 
occupied  j^ositions  of  eminent  distinction  and  useful- 
ness in  society  and  in  the  state." 

Mr.  Irvin,  who  held  the  office  of  pastor  in  this  church 
a  longer  time  than  any  other,  was  in  many  respects  a 
remarkable  man.  His  birthplace  was  at  Fagg's  Manor, 
and  his  early  education  was  received  at  the  academy 
there,  which  was  one  of  the  outgrowths  of  the  Log  Col- 
lege. He  pursued  his  collegiate  course  at  Nassau  Hall, 
Princeton,  where,  in  company  with  James  Madison, 
afterward  President  of  the  United  States,  and  Samuel 
Stanhope  Smith,  he  established  "  the  American  Whig 
Society"  of  that  institution  in  1769. 

He  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  Castle  in  1772.  His  ordination  and  in- 
stallation as  pastor  of  this  church  occurred  November 
3,  1774.  In  that  sacred  office  he  was  constantly  and 
greatly  blessed  throughout  his  long  pastorate  of  "thirty- 
eight  years.  Among  other  interesting  things  concerning 
him  it  is  on  record  that  he  made  himself  a  tolerable 
physician,  so  as  to  be  able  to  be  of  service  to  the  poor; 
he  healed  disputes;  he  counseled  those  who  had  small 
sums  of  money  to  invest;  he  wrote  wills  and  other  legal 
documents,  and  so  saved  his  people  expense ;  he  was 
moreover  a  born  mechanic,  and  helped  John  Fitch, 
who  attended  on  his  ministry,  in  the  studies  that  led 
the  way  to -the  application  of  steam  to  the  propelling 
of  boats. 

He  was  a  great  friend  of  the  young.  "  He  was  fond 
of  both  instrumental  and  vocal  music,  and  was  in  the 
habit  of  often  amusing  himself  and  his  friends  by  play- 
ing on  the  violin,  in  which  he  showed  no  slight  degree 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  227 

of  skill.  The  society  of  young  people  was  very  agree- 
able to  him,  and  he  often  invited  them  to  his  home  and 
unbent  from  the  labors  of  the  day  with  music  and  even 
dancing.  The  youths  of  the  congregation  were  attached 
to  him,  and  were  fond  of  being  in  his  company,  and  he 
exercised  a  proper  influence  over  them." 

He  died  March  3,  1812,  aged  sixty-five  years,  thirty- 
eight  of  which  were  spent  as  pastor  of  this  church. 
"  His  remains  were  deposited,  as  he  desired,  at  the  spot 
in  the  burying-ground  over  which  the  pulpit  in  the 
original  church  once  stood,  and  on  a  horizontal  marble 
tablet  over  his  grave  is  the  following  inscription  : " 

"To  this  sad  tomb,  who  e'er  thou  art,  draw  near; 
Here  lies  a  friend  to  truth ;  of  soul  sincere, 
Of  manners  unaffected,  and  of  mind 
Enlarged  ;  he  wished  the  good  of  all  mankind ; 
Calmly  he  looked  on  either  life,  for  here 
His  peace  was  made  and  nothing  left  to  fear." 

The  pastorate  of  Mr.  Belville  was  one  of  singular 
zeal  and  success  in  winning  souls.  The  blood  of  the 
Huguenots  was  in  his  veins,  his  ancestors  having  taken 
refuge  in  this  country  immediately  after  the  Revocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  He  was  ordained  and  installed 
October  20,  1813,  Dr.  James  P.  Wilson  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Philadelphia  preaching  the 
sermon  on  the  occasion. 

So  indefatigable  was  he  in  devising  methods  for  the 
salvation  of  souls  that  he  had,  scattered  throughout  the 
congregation,  no  less  than  six  Bible-classes  for  prayer 
and  the  study  of  God's  word,  most  of  which  he  attended 
himself.  He  was  blessed  with  a  very  extraordinary 
work  of  grace  in  his  church  in  1833.  It  is  said  that  in 
May  of  that  year  one  hundred  were  admitted  to  the 
communion,  and  in  September  forty  more.     Of  these 


228  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

one  hundred  and  forty  persons,  Mr.  Belville  stated  that 
he  knew  of  but  one  that  went  back  to  the  world  and 
proved  unfaithful  to  his  vows. 

Because  of  declining  health  he  was  compelled  to  resign 
his  charge  in  November,  1838,  after  he  had  held  it 
twenty-five  years.  Seven  years  afterward,  in  1845,  as 
a  commissioner,  he  attended  the  General  Assembly  at 
Cincinnati,  and  on  his  return,  while  visiting  some  friends 
in  Dayton,  Ohio,  he  was  taken  sick,  and  died  after  a 
week's  illness.  His  death  occurred  June  28,  1845,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-five.  On  his  tomb  in  the  cemetery  of 
Dayton  is  the  following  simple  memoir :  "  He  was 
twenty-five  years  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Neshaminy,  Bucks  county,  Penna.,  beloved  and  emi- 
nently useful  among  the  people  of  his  charge.  Being 
obliged  by  ill-health  to  give  up  the  pulpit,  he  removed 
to  the  State  of  Delaware  in  1843,  and  came  to  Cincinnati 
as  a  delegate  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1845  from  the 
Presbytery  of  New  Castle.  After  the  adjournment  of 
the  Assembly,  while  on  a  visit  to  his  friends  in  this 
place,  he  was  called  by  death  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  first-born  above." 

One  who  was  a  constant  attendant  on  the  ministry  of 
Mr.  Bellville  testifies  of  him  :  "  When  animated  by  his 
subject  he  would  often  hold  his  audience  spellbound. 
Young  men  would  ride  for  twenty  miles  to  hear  him 
preach.  The  careless  and  indifferent  would  often  crowd 
the  galleries  for  that  purpose.  The  estimation  in  which 
he  was  held  by  his  brethren  in  the  ministry  was  seen  in 
that  he  would  sometimes  exchano;e  with  such  men  as 
Drs.  Green,  Skinner,  Cuyler  and  McDowell.  His 
pulpit  would  occasionally  be  filled  by  the  Princeton 
professors,  Drs.  Alexander,  Miller,  Maclean  and  Dod." 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  229 

Another  attendant  on  his  ministry  said  that  he  regarded 
him  as  the  finest  reader  he  had  ever  heard. 

The  pastorate  of  Mr.  Belville  closed  the  period  of  one 
hundred  and  twelve  years  during  which  time  the  church 
was  one,  and  its  pastors  ministered  to  the  undivided 
congregation.  After  that  we  have  to  trace  the  separate 
courses  of  each  branch. 

Dr.  James  P.  Wilson  was  son  of  the  celebrated  Rev. 
James  Patriot  Wilson,  D.  D.,  so  well  known  as  the 
learned  and  eloquent  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Philadelphia.  His  pastorate  commenced  amid 
the  stormy  season  of  the  division  of  the  Old  and  New 
School,  and  he  was  the  first  minister  of  Neshaminy  as 
a  New  School  church.  He  was  ordained  and  installed 
February  26, 1839.  After  serving  the  church  for  eight 
years,  upon  his  election  as  president  of  Delaware  Col- 
lege in  Newark,  Delaware,  he  resigned  his  pastoral  charge. 
Dr.  Wilson's  pastorate  was  brief,  but  very  successful. 

Mr.  Turner  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  a  gradu- 
ate of  Yale  College.  He  studied  theology  at  Andover 
Theological  Seminary  when  there  were  no  uncertain 
sounds  in  that  institution,  and  was  licensed  by  the  East 
Congregational  Association,  Massachusetts.  He  was 
called  to  this  church  in  1848,  and  after  he  had  been 
examined  by  the  Presbytery  was  ordained  and  installed 
April  18th  of  that  year. 

His  pastorate  was  a  long  and  happy  one  of  twenty- 
five  years,  and  one  greatly  blessed  with  revivals  and 
the  conversion  of  souls.  In  1873  he  felt  constrained 
to  resign  because  of  impaired  health.  Since  then  he 
has  continued  to  reside  within  the  bounds  of  the  con- 
gregation, encouraging  its  pastors,  sympathizing  with 
them  and  aiding  them  as  opportunity  offers.     At  the 


230  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

present  time  he  holds  the  office  of  secretary  of  the 
Presbyterian  Historical  Society. 

Mr.  Jones  was  installed  October  23,  1873.  During 
the  War  of  the  Secession  he  had  served  two  and  a  half 
years  as  chaplain.  He  resigned  in  1884,  after  a  pas- 
torate of  eleven  years. 

Mr.  Preston,  the  present  pastor,  was  ordained  and 
installed  June  4, 1885.  He  has  a  serious  task  to  follow 
in  the  track  of  such  able  and  godl}^  men  as  preceded 
him,  and  well  is  he  performing  it. 

THE   EULING   ELDEES. 

The  dates  given  here  indicate  the  time  of  ordina- 
tion :  Richard  Walker,  1743  ;  John  Gray,  1748 ;  Rob- 
ert Jamison,  1748 ;  Benjamin  Snodgrass,  1794 ;  John 
Ramsey,  1794 ;  Robert  Jamison,  1794  ;  Samuel  Mann, 
1794 ;  Samuel  Walker,  1794 ;  Stephen  Murray,  1810 ; 
William  Mearns,  1810 ;  Isaac  Craven,  1810 ;  John 
Weir,  1815;  Jonathan  Roberts,  1820;  Gideon  Pryor, 
1825;  James  Horner,  1830;  Samuel  Craven,  1830; 
William  M.  White,  1838  ^  William  Jamison,  1838; 
James  Weir,  1838 ;  Hugh  Mearns,  1838 ;  Nathan  Mc- 
Kinstry,  1839 ;  Joseph  Carroll,  1839 ;  Joseph  Carr, 
1839;  Henry  McKinstry,  1849.  The  elders  of  the 
church  at  present  are — John  McNair,  1848 ;  Stacy 
Blans,  1872 ;  R.  Henderson  Darrah,  1872 ;  Cephas 
Ross,  1872;  Wilson  McKinstry,  1886;  Howell  E. 
McNair,  1886. 

The  study  of  this  roll  of  elders,  extending  over  one 
hundred  and  forty-five  years,  is  deeply  instructive.  It 
is  itself  a  record  that  should  be  highly  prized.  Would 
that  we  had  the  information  and  time  to  dwell  on  each 
honored  name !  We  are  tempted  to  pause  over  a  few 
of  them. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  231 

Jamison  first  impresses  us :  first,  Robert ;  then,  <after 
forty-six  years,  another  Robert ;  then,  after  forty-four 
years,  William. 

]\IcKinstry  is  another:  first,  Nathan;  then,  in  nine 
years,  Henry ;  then,  after  thirty-eight  years,  Wilson. 

Craven  is  another :  first,  Isaac ;  then,  after  twenty 
years,  Samuel. 

Walker,  also :  first  on  the  list,  Richard ;  then,  after 
fifty-one  years,  W'illiam. 

Weir,  also :  first,  John ;  then,  twenty-three  years 
afterward,  James. 

Mearns  is  a  name  concerning  which  we  have  some 
knowledge.  Two  are  on  the  roll,  but  twenty-eight 
years  apart.  Six  generations  of  this  family  worshiped 
in  the  old  church.  Many  of  them  were  intermarried 
with  others  of  the  elders'  families. 

INIcXair  is  another  name  of  which  we  can  speak. 
John  has  been  elder  for  forty  years.  His  grandfather 
and  grandmother  were  also  members,  and  his  son  How- 
ell is  now  elder,  thirty-eight  years  after  the  father's 
ordination. 

In  connection  with  this  church  there  is  one  name  to 
which  we  must  give  more  than  a  passing  notice.  It  is 
that  of  John  Scott,  one  of  its  first  trustees.  He  was 
son  of  an  ofiicer  in  the  army  of  the  brave  Covenanters 
in  the  battle  of  Bothwell  Bridge,  and  also  great-great- 
grandfather of  Mrs.  Harrison,  wife  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States.  As  an  instance  of  the  marvels  of 
God's  wonder-working  providence  and  also  of  the  cer- 
tainty that  the  divine  covenant  descends  to  many  gener- 
ations, as  well  as  a  most  interesting  and  instructive  fact 
of  history,  the  name  of  this  man  must  not  be  passed 
over. 

The  record  of  this  family  is  as  follows  :  Its  successive 


232  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

generations  contained  :  (1)  The  "Laird  of  Arras,"  as  he 
was  called,  an  officer  in  the  army  of  the  Covenanters  at 
Both  well  Bridge;  (2)  John  Scott  of  this  church,  the  first 
who  came  to  this  country ;  (3)  William  Scott,  resident 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Neshaminy;  (4)  the  Rev.  George 
McElroy  Scott,  an  eminent  minister  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church ;  and  (5)  the  Rev.  John  W.  Scott,  still  living. 

The  first  of  this  honored  roll,  as  proved  by  well- 
attested  traditions  in  the  family,  was  connected  with  the 
army  of  the  Covenanters  which  first  defeated  the  infa- 
mous Claverhouse  at  Drumclog  in  1679,  but  which, 
only  three  weeks  afterward,  was  itself  defeated  by  the 
duke  of  Monmouth,  by  whose  permission  hundreds  of 
those  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  were  tortured  and 
slaughtered.  It  is  probable  that  shortly  after  this  defeat 
he,  with  multitudes  of  others,  took  refuge  in  Ireland 
from  the  merciless  persecutions  of  Charles  II.  The 
second  was  this  John  Scott  of  the  Neshaminy  Church. 
He  was  born  in  the  North  of  Ireland  in  1688,  nine 
years  after  his  father  fought  at  Bothwell  Bridge.  He 
came  to  this  country  in  1741,  when  about  fifty  years  of 
age.  He  was  one  of  the  church's  first  trustees,  and  was 
one  of  the  eight  men  to  whom,  in  1745,  the  ground  on 
which  its  building  stood  was  deeded.  He  died  in  1749. 
The  third  was  William  Scott,  who  no  doubt  was  born 
in  Ireland  and  came  to  America  with  his  father.  He 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Neshaminy,  and  was  trustee  of  this  church  from  1782 
until  he  died.  The  fourth  was  the  Rev.  George  McEl- 
roy Scott,  who  must  have  been  an  eminently  pious  and 
useful  man.  His  academic  studies  were  conducted  under 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Ewing  of  Philadelphia,  founder  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  he  became  a  superior 
classical  scholar.     Afterward  he  studied  theology  under 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  233 

Dr.  Witherspoon  of  Princeton  College,  of  whom  he 
became  an  intimate  and  lifelong  friend,  evinced  by  giv- 
ing to  his  son  the  honored  name,  John  Witherspoon 
Scott.  His  preparatory  studies  being  completed,  he 
made  his  home  in  what  was  then  the  West,  associating 
with  Drs.  McMillan,  McCurdy,  and  others.  He  was  a 
member  of  "  the  Board  of  Trusts  for  Indian  Missions," 
which  grew  into  our  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  He 
went  himself  twice,  for  months  each  time,  on  a  mission 
to  the  Indians  in  the  region  of  what  is  now  Sandusky, 
Ohio.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Washington  Col- 
lege, which  is  now  united  with  Jefferson  College.  The 
fifth  was  the  Rev.  John  Witherspoon  Scott,  I).  D.,  who 
is  still  living,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Benjamin  Harrison. 
Under  the  early  instructions  of  his  father,  he  became  a 
superior  scholar,  especially  in  the  science  of  chemistry 
and  kindred  subjects,  in  which  he  perfected  himself  at 
Yale  College.  At  first  he  taught  in  a  sort  of  log  college 
established  by  his  father  in  Eastern  Ohio,  and  after- 
ward took  a  leading  part  in  the  building  up  of  Wash- 
ington College,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  early  profes- 
sors. Of  the  great  and  good  men  of  that  day  and 
region  of  country  he  was  an  intimate  friend  and  with 
them  an  able  co-worker. 

Can  we  help  seeing  in  this  remarkable  family  record 
a  most  wonderful  proof  of  the  marvelous  providence  of 
our  covenant-keeping  Lord,  in  that  the  faithful  servant 
of  God  who  bravely  fought  for  the  Covenant  two  hun- 
dred years  ago  should  be  blessed  by  an  unbroken  line 
of  righteous  descendants  ever  since,  until  now  he  has 
the  surpassing  honor  of  having  his  memory  celebrated 
as  the  great-great-great-grandfather  of  the  wife  of  the 
chief  ruler  of  the  United  States? 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  several  of  the  elders  of 


234  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

this  church  are  still  represented  by  families,  bearing 
their  names,  in  the  old  churches  of  this  Presbytery. 
The  history  of  the  descendants  of  the  elders  of  this 
church  gives  glorious  evidence  of  God's  unfailing  faith- 
fulness to  his  covenant  with  his  people  and  their  chil- 
dren. 


MEMORABLE   OBJECTS   AND    EVENTS. 

If  hallowed  ground  exists  anywhere,  it  is  that  of  the 
old  graveyard  of  this  church,  for  through  it  at  least  six 
generations  of  worshipers  have  gone  up  to  this  sanctu- 
ary of  the  Lord  to  keep  holy  day.  At  least  six  gen- 
erations have  laid  in  it  their  beloved  dead,  making  its 
dust  most  sacred.  There  is  the  last  resting-place  of  the 
founder  of  the  Log  College  and  of  his  dear  wife,  pre- 
eminently a  mother  in  our  Israel.  There,  too,  it  was 
that  once  was  heard  the  voice  of  the  sainted  AVhitefield 
while  thousands  hung  upon  his  words  as  if  for  their 
very  souls. 

It  is  upon  record  that  in  the  early  days  people  would 
come  to  the  church  on  the  Lord's  Day  for  seven  or  eight 
miles,  often  through  the  almost  pathless  forests,  and  fre- 
quently on  foot.  Women  frequently  walked  all  that 
distance,  some  carrying  in  their  hands  their  shoes,  which 
they  put  on  after  they  had  washed  their  feet  in  a  spring 
near  the  meeting-house. 

In  1850  the  Rev.  Mahlon  Long,  Ph.  D.,  and-  his 
brother  Charles  established  the  "Tennent  School,"  a 
boarding-school  for  boys,  near  the  church. 

The  influence  of  this  institution  has  been  very  great, 
not  only  in  that  immediate  neighborhood,  but  also 
throughout  a  larger  part  of  the  country.  Of  its  pupils, 
five  became  physicians ;  twenty-five  lawyers,  some  of 
them  very  eminent;  and  nine  clergymen,  most  of  them 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  235 

of  our  own  Church ;  besides  a  large  number  of  persons 
who  are  now  eminent  in  other  walks  of  life. 

NESHAMINY    OF   WARMINSTER. 

We  have  already  shown  that  the  church  of  Nesham- 
iny  of  Warminster  had  the  same  history  for  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  years  as  that  of  Neshaminy  of  War- 
wick. Concerning  this  congregation  we  have  only  to 
take  up  its  history  in  1839,  when  it  became  a  distinct 
organization. 

In  that  year,  February  10th,  the  separation  occurred, 
when  one  hundred  and  forty  of  the  members  of  the  old 
church  in  a  body  left  that  organization.  Six  of  the 
seven  elders  went  with  them,  while  the  trustees  as  a 
body  remained  in  their  former  connection.  This  left 
the  two  sections  in  a  very  singular  position.  The  body 
that  remained  having  purchased  the  property,  which 
purchase  carried  with  it  the  title-deeds  and  other  papers, 
and  having  with  it  the  trustees,  became  the  legal  suc- 
cessor in  the  temporalities  of  the  church ;  but  the 
seceding  party,  having  with  it  the  elders,  and  continu- 
ing in  the  same  Presbytery,  became  the  ecclesiastical 
successor.  After  the  separation  the  new  body,  taking 
the  form  of  a  distinct  organization  with  the  charter  title 
of  "  the  Church  of  Neshaminy  of  Warminster,"  for  a 
short  time  worshiped  in  a  private  house.  Subsequently, 
for  ft  year  or  two,  they  occupied  a  tent  set  up  in  a  grove 
near  by.  In  1842  their  new  house  of  woi*ship  was  fin- 
ished, and  they  entered  it.  For  forty-six  years  it  has 
been  one  of  our  influential  churches. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  story  of  the  buildings  is  soon  told.  The  church, 
having  received  three  thousand  dollars  from  the  division 


236  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

of  the  old  property,  collected  as  much  more  as  was  needed, 
and  in  1842  erected  the  present  edifice  in  the  village 
of  Hartsville,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  old  church. 
Forty  years  afterward,  in  the  autumn  of  1882,  at  an 
expense  of  three  thousand  dollars  the  house  was  reno- 
vated, refurnished  and  rededicated.  It  is  now  a  com- 
fortable and  beautiful  place  of  worship.  In  1886  a 
chapel  was  erected  in  the  village  of  Ivyland  at  an 
expense  of  twelve  hundred  dollars,  which  was  dedi- 
cated on  the  8th  of  August,  and  in  which  services  have 
been  held  every  Lord's  Day  since. 

THE    PASTOES. 

The  pastors  since  the  separate  organization  have  been 
as  follows:  Thomas  B.  Bradford,  1839,  two  years;  Henry 
R.  Wilson,  D.  D.,  1841,  eight  years;  Jacob  Belville, 
D.  p.,  1849,  eight  years  ;  John  McCloskey,  D.  D.,  aided 
Dr.  Belville,  two  years;  A  Miller  Woods,  1858,  eleven 
years ;  Gersham  H.  Nimmo,  1870,  the  present  pastor. 

The  fact  that  Mr.  Bradford  was  the  first  pastor' of  the 
new  organization,  and  also  the  peculiar  circumstances 
of  his  entrance  upon  his  work,  renders  his  installation 
worthy  of  special  notice.  For  that  purpose  the  Pres- 
bytery held  an  adjourned  meeting,  April  29,  1839, 
there  being  no  church  edifice  as  yet,  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  Hugh  Mearns.  The  Rev.  Silas  M.  Andrews  was 
the  Moderator.  Dr.  Steel  proposed  the  constitutional 
questions  and  delivered  charges  to  both  pastor  and  peo- 
ple. After  this  Mr.  Bradford  served  the  church  two 
years. 

Dr.  Wilson  was  installed  in  November,  1842,  He  was 
a  brother  well  known  and  greatly  esteemed  throughout 
the  whole  Presbyterian  Church.  Some  time  after  leav- 
ing this  church  he  was  elected,  and  long  discharged 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  237 

most  faithfully  the  duties  of,  corresponding  secretaiy 
of  the  Board  of  Church  Erection.  He  died  June  8, 
188G. 

Dr.  Jacob  Belville  was  installed  on  the  first  Thurs- 
day of  November,  1849.  That  he  should  have  held  the 
office  of  pastor  in  this  church  is  a  very  interesting  inci- 
dent. He  was  emphatically  the  child  of  the  Neshaminy 
church,  being  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Robert  B.  Belville, 
who  was  its  pastor  for  twenty-five  years,  and  having 
been  born  again  in  a  great  revival  under  his  father. 
During  his  pastorate  here  he  was  a  most  efficient  mem- 
ber of  Presbytery,  much  of  the  time  its  stated  clerk 
and  treasurer.  He  resigned  in  1857,  in  consequence  of 
obstinate  trouble  with  his  throat.  His  health,  however, 
having  become  restored,  he  has  been  for  many  years 
pastor  of  the  church  of  Pottsville. 

Mr.  Woods  was  ordained  and  installed  May  12, 1859. 
Mr.  Woods  has  a  most  honored  ancestry,  being  grand- 
son of  Dr.  Witherspoon,  president  of  Princeton  Col- 
lege and  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
He  has  now  been  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  church 
of  Mahanoy  City  and  stated  clerk  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Lehigh. 

Mr.  Nimmo  was  installed  May  26,  1870.  He  has 
performed  the  duties  of  pastor  for  now  nearly  a  score 
of  years. 

THE    RULING    ELDERS. 

When  this  church  took  its  place  as  a  separate  organ- 
ization, it  brought  with  it  as  its  ruling  elders  the  fol- 
lowing six  brethren :  Hugh  Mearns,  James  Horner, 
Samuel  Craven,  James  Weir,  William  Jamison  and 
William  AVhite.  Those  who  now  hold  that  office  in 
the  church  are  William  Glasgow,  Isaac  M.  Yerkes, 
Hugh  J.  Carroll  and  Samuel  K.  Mann. 


238  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Of  some  of  the  families  represented  by  these  men  of 
God  we  have  already  written  in  the  account  of  the  old 
Neshaminy  church,  and  of  the  families  of  Yerkes  and 
Mann  in  connection  with  that  of  Abington ;  for  one 
of  the  instructive  things  regarding  these  old  families  is 
the  manner  in  which  they  are  ramified  through  all 
these  historic  churches. 

Carroll  is  one  of  the  old  family  names  the  record  of 
which  is  both  interesting  and  instructive.  Hugh  J., 
tlie  present  elder  of  that  name,  is  descended  from  a 
line  running  back  through  godly  parents  and  elders 
for  a  century  and  a  half,  until  its  commencement  in 
Jacob,  who  was  born  December  12,  1732. 

FACTS    WORTHY   OF    EECORD. 

During  his  pastorate  Dr.  Belville  established  an  im- 
portant boarding-school  for  young  ladies.  Many  pu- 
pils were  gathered  into  it  as  a  happy  Christian  home, 
not  only  from  the  surrounding  country,  but  also  from 
distant  places.  Its  influences  are  felt  to-day  in  many 
families  of  piety  and  esteem  through  the  Church. 

This  church  displayed  an  enlightened  enterprise  in 
the  erection  of  the  chapel  at  Ivyland.  That  village  is 
about  two  miles  distant,  where  the  railroad  has  its 
nearest  station,  and  where  there  has  suddenly  arisen  a 
new  and  thriving  town.  The  station  must  be  the  cen- 
tre of  growth  in  that  region ;  this  is  its  only  j)lace  of 
worship.  May  not  this  ultimately  become  an  import- 
ant church  ?  Every  church  should  thus  watch  for 
suitable  places  and  there  establish  mission  enter- 
prises. 

A  very  interesting  fact  concerning  this  church  is  that 
it  contains  within  its  bounds  the  site  of  the  old  Log  Col- 
lege.   Its  location  is  not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  239 

house  of  worship.  A  more  memorable  spot  or  one  con- 
nected with  more  important  associations  there  is  not  in 
our  whole  Presbyterian  Church.  An<l  yet  there  is  noth- 
ing to  mark  the  spot:  it  is  preserved  only  in  the  memo- 
ries of  those  who  are  interested  in  the  cause.  The  }»lough 
passes  over  it,  and  the  successive  crops  of  grain  wave 
above  it  as  if  no  mighty  men  or  sublime  work  had  ever 
been  there.  In  a  few  years  it  will  pass  away  into  the 
oblivion  of  the  past,  and  the  place  where  the  Teiinents 
did  their  glorious  work  for  God  and  his  Church  will 
be  known  no  more. 

Our  Church  should  at  once  take  some  steps  to  recover 
the  ground  and  erect  some  sort  of  monument.  No 
matter  how  humble,  some  stone  or  some  structure  should 
be  put  up  to  keep  the  place  from  being  forgotten.  It  is 
a  reproach  to  us  that  we  have  not  done  this  long  ago. 
The  whole  Presbyterian  Church  is  alike  interested 
in  it,  while  our  Presbytery,  having  the  site  in  trust, 
should  take  the  lead  and  management.  And  there 
should  be  promptness,  in  order  both  to  atone  for  past 
delay  and  to  avert  the  inevitable  approach  of  oblivion, 

MARKET   SQUARE,    GERMANTOWN. 

The  history  of  this  old  historic  church  will  require 
more  space  than  most  others,  because  it  involves  an  ele- 
ment of  our  Presbytery  that  can  be  found  nowhere  else.* 
The  special  authorities  we  consult  are  Watso7i's  Annals, 
an  admirable  paper  on  the  subject  by  Mr,  William  H, 
Scott,  one  of  the  elders  of  the  church,  and  a  valuable 
letter  from  Rev.  Dr.  Corwin  of  New  Brunswick,  New 
Jersey,  the  historian  of  the  (Dutch)  Reformed  Church. 

If  we  were  writing  the  special  history  of  this  church 

*The  history  of  the  German  element  of  our  Presbytery  is  largely  in- 
cluded in  the  history  of  this  and  the  Frankford  churches. 


240  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

we  would  date  its  commencement  in  1710,  and  divide 
it  into  four  periods — namely,  the  Dutch  Reformed, 
1710-32 ;  the  German  Reformed,  1732-1856 ;  the  New 
School  Presbyterian,  1856-71;  and  the  Reunion  period, 
1870-88. 

That  this  church,  of  such  varied  history,  was  com- 
menced in  1710,  and  was  then  in  the  Dutch  Reformed 
connection,  are  facts  established  by  our  protracted  in- 
vestigations, though  it  has  been  usual  to  place  the  time 
of  its  founding  in  1732. 

In  the  first  place,  in  Mr.  Scott's  paper  the  missionary 
Mr.  Schlatterer  is  quoted  as  in  1746  writing  of  the 
"  old  half-fallen  church  "  in  this  place.  "  Old  and  half- 
fallen  "  in  1746  could  not  refer  to  the  stone  building  of 
1732,  which  is  ordinarily  considered  as  the  beginning 
of  Market  Square  church :  it  was  then  only  fourteen 
years  old.  It  must  have  had  reference  to  an  older 
edifice.  On  the  supposition  that  the  Dutch  Reformed 
put  up  a  log  building  there  before  1710,  which  in 
Schlatterer's  time  would  be  at  least  forty  years  old,  this 
reference  of  the  missionary  would  be  explained.  Again, 
Watson,  as  quoted  by  Mr.  Scott,  writes :  "  This  old 
church  "  (identifying  the  old  log  building  with  that  of 
1732)  "in  the  market  square  originated  as  a  Dutch  Re- 
formed, and  was  built  and  used  as  one  directly  under 
the  Reformed  Church  in  Holland^  Here  he  writes  of 
"  a  Dutch  Reformed^''  as  the  first  church,  and  adds, 
"  from  thence  (Holland)  it  had  its  first  pastors." 

Now,  where  did  Watson  find  that?  and  who  was 
that  first  pastor  from  Holland  ?  Fortunately,  Dr.  Cor- 
win's  letter,  based  not  upon  tradition,  but  upon  "  written 
evidence,"  gives  the  answer.  It  says  he  "  has  written 
evidence  of  preachers  (Dutch  Reformed)  visiting 
North  and  South  Hampton  before  1710,  in  connection 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  241 

with  Germantown,  Bensalem,"  etc.  Again,  he  acUls, 
"Said  records  state  that  churches  were  organized  at 
Bensalem  and  Neshaniiny,  May  20,  1710,  and  that  on 
the  same  day  Paul  Van  Vleck  was  installed  pastor  of 
the  united  churches  of  Germantown,  Bensalem  and 
Neshaminy."  Paul  Van  Vleck,  then,  a  Hollander,  was 
installed  in  Germantown  May  20,  1710:  if  installed, 
then  the  church  must  have  been  there  before  that  time. 

Is  it  not,  then,  clear,  from  the  fragment  of  the  mis- 
sionary and  from  the  letter  of  Dr.  Corwin,  that  there 
was  in  fact  a  Dutch  Reformed  church,  and  that  its  first 
preacher  was  Paul  Van  Vleck,  a  native  of  Holland, 
who  was  installed  in  1710?  About  the  log  building  we 
shall  speak  farther  on. 

How  came  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  in  so  short  a 
time  as  twenty-two  years  to  be  found  as  a  German  Re- 
formed church  ?  This  is  answered  partly  by  Dr.  Cor- 
win's  letter  and  partly  by  the  fact  that  the  Germans 
preponderated  so  greatly  in  number  in  Germantown. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  early  settlers  in  the  German- 
town  region  were  mostly  fugitives  from  the  persecu- 
tions that  raged  in  the  Palatinate.  Fleeing  for  their 
religion,  their  first  act  in  their  new  home  would  be 
to  secure  the  privileges  of  the  gospel  for  which  they 
had  suffered  so  much.  In  Dr.  Corwin's  letter  it  is 
stated  that  some  of  these  ardent  Germans,  coming  in 
among  the  Hollanders  of  the  Neshaminy  region, 
awakened  a  tendency  toward  the  German  Calvinistic 
Church.  This  tendency  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Bensalem,  where  some  families  of  Irish  Presbytei-ians 
were  also  settled,  produced  a  compromise  in  the  forma- 
tion of  a  Presbyterian  church.  In  Germantown,  how- 
ever, where  the  German  element  was  predominant  and 
where  the  German  language  prevailed,  it  resulted  in  a 

16 


242  PRESBYTERY   OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

German  Calvinistic  churcli,  and  is  so  found  twenty-two 
years  after  its  formation.  In  1732  the  church  was  cer- 
tainly German  Reformed,  and  the  old  building  of  logs, 
either  becoming  decayed  or  being  too  small  for  the  in- 
creasing population,  gave  way  to  one  of  stone. 

It  is  in  place  here  to  state  that  this  German  Calvin- 
istic church  of  Germantown  in  those  early  days  was 
connected  with  Frankford,  which  was  either  an  outlying 
mission  or  another  church  served  by  the  same  pastors. 
This  is  evident  from  the  following  facts  :  Frankford  was 
the  most  important  branch  of  the  original  German  set- 
tlement, for  it  was  in  Frankfort,  near  the  Rhine,  that 
the  company  was  formed  which  first  settled  German- 
town  ;  the  early  German  Calvinistic  pastors  had  gen- 
erally two  or  more  separate  churches  to  which  they 
ministered ;  the  same  persons,  we  know  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  did  officiate  in  both  places  from  1770  to  1805 ;  the 
same  family  names  abound  in  the  records  of  the  old 
Market  Square  church  and  in  those  of  Frankford ;  a  pas- 
tor of  the  Market  Square  church — namely,  the  Rev.  Fred- 
erick Foehring — was  the  founder  and  laid  the  corner- 
stone of  the  Frankford  church  in  1770.  Moreover,  many 
old  people  have  related  to  us  that  they  had  heard  their 
parents  and  grandparents  describe  how,  of  old,  the  girls 
dressed  in  white,  the  children  would  go  from  Frankford 
to  Germantown  to  attend  "  the  catechizing."  Undoubt- 
edly, therefore,  these  two  churches,  at  least  during  the 
thirty-five  years  between  1770  and  1805,  were  united 
in  some  way  under  the  same  pastors. 

The  pastors  of  these  two  old  churches  were  almost 
if  not  altogether  missionaries  sent  out  by  the  Classis 
of  Amsterdam — either  members  of  that  body  or  at 
least  supported  by  it.  The  reason  for  this  strange 
arrangement  of  German  churches  being  supplied  with 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  243 

pastors  by  a  Dutch  Classis  was  that  these  persecuted, 
impoverished  Palatinates  had  neitlier  the  men  nor  the 
means  of  sustaining  them,  and  so  their  HoHand  l)reth- 
reu  came  to  their  relief  in  return  for  the  refui2;e  whicli 
the  fathers  of  these  very  Germans  had  furnished  to  the 
fathers  of  the  same  Hollanders  in  their  former  days  of 
sore  suffering  from  the  enemies  of  the  cross. 

For  the  first  twenty-five  years  of  this  church  as  Ger- 
man Calvinistic,  or  until  the  settlement  of  Stoy  in  1757, 
it  seems  to  have  depended  on  such  supplies  as  could 
be  found  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath  ;  and  from  this  there 
arose  one  of  the  most  interesting  events  in  its  history. 
Of  these  temporary  supplies  there  was  one  name  that 
was  the  most  revered  of  all — that  of  Count  Zinzendorf, 
the  brother-in-law  of  Henry  XXIX.  of  Reuss-Ebers- 
dorf,  resuscitator  and  leader  of  the  Moravians,  and 
one  of  the  most  devoted  men  our  earth  has  ever  seen. 
He  was  fervently  pious  even  from  his  infancy,  making 
Christ  the  end  and  aim  of  his  daily  life,  in  his  youth 
declaring,  "/  have  but  one  passion,  and  thai  w  He, 
only  He."  When  he  was  nineteen  he  saw  a  picture,  an 
"  Ecce  Homo,"  with  this  inscription,  "  Hoc  feci  pro  (c  ; 
quod  facis  pro  mef"  and  then  he  consecrated  his  whole 
being  to  Christ,  and  ever  afterward  lived  accordingly. 
In  November,  1741,  he  came  to  Pennsylvania,  on  one 
of  his  missionarj'-tours,  and  seems  to  have  made  Ger- 
mantown  his  headquarters  during  the  year  1742,  liv- 
ing in  a  house  near  this  church. 

The  record  of  his  connection  with  this  church  for 
that  period  is  given  very  fully  in  the  Memorials  of  the 
Moravian  Church,  edited  by  the  Rev.  William  Reichel. 
For  the  knowledge  of  these  facts  we  are  imlebted  to 
Mr.  Turner,  who  has  given  us  much  valuable  aid  in 
our  work. 


244  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

The  visit  of  Count  Zinzendorf  to  these  old  Ger- 
man churches  seems  to  have  had  an  influence  similar 
to  that  of  Whitefield  to  the  Presbyterians  on  the  Ne- 
shaminy,  and  we  would  put  on  record  as  a  precious 
legacy  every  item  of  it  within  our  reach. 

We  give  the  various  items  just  in  the  order  we  find 
them  :  "  On  December  31,  1741,  Count  Zinzendorf  ap- 
peared for  the  first  time  in  an  American  pulpit,  preach- 
ing to  a  large  audience  in  the  German  Reformed  church 
of  Germantown."  "  He  preached  the  gospel  statedly 
in  Germantown  until  June  20,  1742."  "Dec.  30th, 
the  count  and  his  company  reached  Germantown.  Dec. 
31st,  Sunday,  he  jDreached  to  a  large  audience  in  the 
German  Reformed  church,  from  the  words, '  And  with- 
out controversy  great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness.'  " 
"  The  church  in  which  he  preached  had  been  built  in 
1733,  and  stood  opposite  the  market-house  in  the  Main 
street.  The  Reformed  congregation  that  worshiped  here, 
having  not  yet  been  supplied  with  an  ordained  minis- 
ter by  the  mother-church,  Mr,  John  Bechtel  had  been 
chosen  to  act  as  lector  and  exhorter."  On  March  15, 
1742,  the  record  is,  "  On  this  day  Bro.  Ludwig  (or 
Count  Zinzendorf)  and  his  household  removed  to  Ger- 
mantown, and  occupied  a  house  rented  of  Mr.  Ashmead, 
near  the  German  Reformed  church."  It  is  added  con- 
cerning the  house:  "Near  the  market-house,  almost  op- 
posite the  German  Reformed  church,  the  house  is  still 
standing."  The  record  of  June  17,  1742,  is,  "Bro. 
Ludwig  preached  for  the  last  time  in  the  Reformed 
church  in  Germantown."  Another  record  concerning 
him  is  that  "  he  preached  the  gospel  statedly  in  the 
German  Reformed  church  at  Germantown  until  June 
20,  1742."  It  will  explain  how  it  came  to  pass  that  he, 
the    leader    of  the    Moravian   Church,  should  preach 


I 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  245 

statedly  for  half  a  year  to  a  German  Reformed  cluirch, 
to  say  that  he  was  then  engaged  in  promoting  the  inter- 
ests of  what  he  called  "the  Congregation  of  God  in  the 
Spirit,"  a  sort  of  evangelical  alliance  among  the  German 
religious  denominations  in  Pennsylvania.* 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

During  its  eventful  history  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  years  this  church  has  had  in  succession 
five  edifices  for  its  worship  :  the  log  house  of  1710, 
the  first  stone  building  of  1732,  the  enlarged  one  of 
1762,  the  brick  structure  of  1840,  the  present  noble 
edifice  of  1888.     Concerning  each  of  these  a  few  words: 

1st.  The  log  house  of  1710.  We  have  repeatedly 
spoken  of  this  as  a  building  constructed  of  logs,  not 
because  we  have  it  so  stilted  in  any  record,  but  because 
certain  other  things  make  it  more  than  probable  that 
such  was  the  case.  These  probabilities  are — first,  the 
missionary  Schlatterer  in  1746  describes  the  building 
then  standing  (that  of  1733)  as  a  sio7ie  church.  Why 
does  he  introduce  the  word  "  stone  "  but  to  contrast  it 
with  that  which  was  before  it,  which  at  that  time  could 
onlv  have  been  of  logs  ?  This  was  onlv  a  hint,  but  as 
such  it  awakened  thought,  which  led  to  other  probabili- 
ties. Second,  these  early  settlers  before  1710  were  very 
poor;  many  of  them  had  been  despoiled  by  persecution, 
and  hence  when  they  came  here  they  had  not  the  means 
to  do  otherwise  than  use  the  trees  in  the  forests  around 
them  to  put  up  such  a  structure  as  they  could  with 

*  In  the  year  lSo3  the  church,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  declared  itself  inde- 
pendent of  the  German  Reformed  Church.  Three  years  afterward,  by  a 
unanimous  vote  again,  it  connected  itself  with  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
New  School.  We  make  it  emphatic  that  these  votes  were  unanimous,  as 
otherwise,  as  in  all  such  cases,  the  transfer  of.  the  property  to  another 
denomination  would  not  have  been  sustained  by  the  civil  courts. 


246  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

their  own  hands.  Third,  the  Log  College  and  Abing- 
ton  church  in  the  region  from  which  some  of  the  peo- 
ple had  come  were  constructed  in  this  way,  and  it  is 
likely  that  they  would  adopt  the  same  plan.  Then 
fourth  and  chiefly,  the  building  to  which  the  mission- 
ary alludes  was  in  a  decaying  state  in  1746 ;  thus,  as 
it  could  not  have  been  put  up  more  than  thirty-five  to 
forty  years  before,  it  must  have  been  of  perishable 
materials,  which  rough,  exposed  logs  would  certainly 
be.  All  these,  it  will  be  observed,  are*  only  probabili- 
ties, but  they  are  so  strong  and  so  many  and  so  diverse 
as  to  leave  scarcely  a  question  but  that  our  supposition 
is  correct. 

2d.  The  next  is  the  stone  building  of  1733.  Con- 
cerning this  there  is  no  uncertainty.  The  date  of  the 
deed  for  the  ground  on  which  it  stood  was  November 
9,  1732.  The  building  was  completed  the  next  year. 
It  was  put  up  in  connection  with  the  change  of  the 
church  to  German  Calvinistic — whether  as  a  new  organ- 
ization, or  as  a  mere  transfer  of  the  former  organization, 
we  have  no  information. 

3d.  The  next  was  that  of  1762,  It  was  substan- 
tially a  new  structure,  though  one  end  and  a  little  more 
of  the  former  building  were  retained  in  it.  Its  whole  cost 
was  £526,  2s.  2d.,  or  about  two  thousand  six  hundred 
dollars. 

4th.  The  next  was  a  brick  structure  erected  in  1840. 
It  was  sixty-four  by  forty  feet  in  size,  and  was  length- 
ened eighteen  feet  in  1857.  It  was  the  building  so 
well  remembered  by  many  as  the  church's  home  until 
the  year  1887. 

5th.  The  next  was  the  present  structure,  finished  in 
1888.  It  needs  no  description,  as  it  now  stands  to 
speak  for  itself. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  247 


THE    PASTORS. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  for  twenty-five  years 
the  German  Calvinistie  church  relied  chiefly  on  occa- 
sional supplies,  but  after  that  time  there  came  a  long 
line  of  installed  pastors.  From  1757  until  the  present, 
a  period  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  years,  the  list 
is  unbroken.  We  give  it  with  peculiar  interest,  a 
succession  of  honored  names:  Wihelm  Stoy,  1757, 
one  year ;  John  George  Absentz,  1758,  eleven  years ; 
Christian  Frederick  Foerhing,  1769,  three  years;  J.  C. 
Albertus  Helffenstein,  1772,  three  years;  Samuel  Dub- 
bendorff",  1776,  two  years ;  J.  C.  A.  Helffenstein  again, 
1779,  ten  years;  Librecht  Frederick  Hermann,  1790, 
twelve  years;  John  William  Runkle,  1802,  three  years; 
Frederick  Wilhelm  Vandersloat,  four  years ;  Casper 
Wack,  1813,  eleven  years ;  John  H.  Smaltz,  1824,  fi\ie 
years  ;  Albertus  Helffenstein,  1835,  two  years  ;  Truman 
Osbourne,  1837,  five  years ;  Jacob  Helffenstein,  1842, 
twenty-seven  years ;  Edward  P.  Cowan,  D.  D.,  1870, 
twelve  years ;  John  E.  Wright,  D.  D.,  1883,  the  pres- 
ent pastor. 

Mr.  Stoy  was  one  of  six  ministers  who  came  from 
Germany  to  this  country  with  Schlatterer  in  1752.  He 
combined  the  duties  of  physician  and  minister  during 
the  last  thirty  years  of  his  life.  Amid  great  prejudice 
he  introduced  inoculation  against  small-pox  into  Berks 
county,  Pennsylvania. 

]\Ir.  Absentz  was  born  in  Germany.  He  came  to 
this  country  in  1816.  After  leaving  Germantown  he 
supplied  first  the  church  of  Amwell,  New  Jersey,  and 
then  the  Wentz  church,  Pennsylvania. 

J.  C.  A.  Helffenstein  belonged  to  a  family  in  which 
there  has   been    a   succession    of    ministers  since    the 


248  PRESBYTER Y  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

Reformation.  Our  list  shows  that  three  of  these 
ministered  in  this  church.  He  was  born  in  the  Palati- 
nate ;  and  on  his  way  to  this  country  a  severe  storm  at 
sea  led  him  to  devote  himself  more  entirely  to  the 
service  of  God.  The  majesty  and  tenderness  of  his 
preaching  often  overwhelmed  his  congregations.  He 
was  pastor  of  this  church  at  first  four  years,  was  then 
in  Lancaster  four  years,  when  he  returned  to  this  church 
and  remained  ten  years. 

Mr.  Fcerhing  was  born  in  Hanover  in  1736.  When 
a  child  his  mother,  knowing  that  if  he  remained  until 
he  grew  up  in  his  native  country,  he  would  have  to 
enter  the  army,  bound  him  on  her  back,  skated  across 
the  Rhine  and,  escaping,  came  to  Philadelphia.  Here 
he  in  due  time  entered  the  ministry,  became  eminent  for 
both  piety  and  talents,  preaching  in  German,  Dutch  or 
Bnglish  as  occasion  required.  He  finally  met  his- 
death  in  connection  with  the  army,  for,  being  an  ardent 
patriot,  he  was  forced  to  fly  from  the  British  soldiers, 
took  cold  from  exposure  in  efforts  to  escape  from  them, 
the  effects  of  which  proved  fatah 

In  the  interval  of  four  years  between  Mr.  Helflfen- 
stein's  two  periods  of  service  in  this  church  the  pulpit 
was  supplied  for  two  years  by  Mr.  Dubbendorff.  He 
came  to  this  country  as  a  chaplain  to  the  Hessian 
troops,  but  soon  left  them  and  entered  the  pastoral 
work.  As  a  result,  he  seems  to  have  been  persecuted 
by  the  English  soldiers,  by  whom  he  was  plundered, 
losing  all  that  he  had.  Being  a  man  of  very  tender 
and  refined  feelings,  this  greatly  discouraged  him,  and 
he  soon  left  the  field. 

Mr.  Hermann  was,  in  every  respect,  a  remarkable 
man.  He  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  was  the  last 
of  the  missionaries  sent  over  by  the  Classis  of  Amster- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  249 

(lam.  No  leys  than  five  of  his  sons  entered  the  min- 
istry, for  which  he  had  himself  educated  them.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  was  totally  blind.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  his  last  words  being, 
"  It  is  well  with  me.  I  am  nearing  heaven.  My  body 
is  very  weak,  and  will  soon  be  dissolved,  but  Jesus,  my 
Redeemer,  will  construct  for  me  a  glorified  body  from 
this  mass  of  corruption." 

Mr.  Runkle  was  also  a  German,  and  a  man  of  very 
decided  character.  "  He  was  a  man  of  strong  physical 
constitution,  tall  and  rawboned  in  person.  His  powers 
of  endurance  were  very  great.  He  was  venerable  and 
patriarchal  in  appearance,  excitable  in  temper,  warm  in 
preaching — a  '  son  of  thunder.'  " 

Albertus  Helffenstein,  Jr.,  was  son  of  the  venerable 
man  of  the  same  name  of  whom  we  have  already 
sj)oken,  and  who  was  the  first  of  that  family  of  minis- 
ters who  came  to  this  country.  His  ministry  in  this 
church  was  only  for  the  brief  period  of  two  years. 

The  pastorate  of  Mr.  Osbourne  in  this  church  was 
memorable  from  the  fact  that  during  it  the  old  stone 
edifice  was  taken  down  and  the  new  brick  one  erected 
in  its  place.  This  is  good  evidence  that  his  ministry 
was  an  active  and  prosperous  one. 

Dr.  Helffenstein  was  a  worthy  representative  of  the 
godly  and  greatly-honored  family  of  that  name  which, 
in  its  successive  generations,  held  the  sacred  office  in 
this  neighborhood  for  over  a  century.  No  family  in 
our  annals  has  had  a  more  blessed  record ;  especially  in 
this  church,  where  the  first  member  of  the  family  in 
this  country  officiated,  must  the  name  ever  be  held  in 
veneration.  His  was  the  longest  pastorate  of  any  which 
the  congregation  has  thus  far  enjoyed.  During  his  last 
years  declining  health  made  his  work  more  laborious, 


250  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

but  not  less  devoted.  From  first  to  last  lie  was  distin- 
guished for  the  utmost  fidelity  in  every  duty.  Those 
of  us  who  knew  him  during  his  closing  years  must 
ever  carry  with  us  the  remembrance  of  the  tenderness, 
the  affection  and  the  earnest  piety  of  the  good  man. 

Dr.  Cowan  remained  as  pastor  of  this  church  for 
twelve  years,  and  then  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
still  continues  ministering  to  one  of  our  most  influential 
churches. 

Dr.  Wright  has  now  been  the  very  successful  pastor  of 
this  church  for  five  years.  The  E  in  his  name — John 
Elliott  Wright — reveals  an  ancestry  which  is  a  strong 
confirmation  of  God's  immovable  adherence  to  his  cov- 
enant. Dr.  Wright  is  grandson  of  the  Rev.  Elisha  P. 
Swift,  D.  D.,  for  forty  years  pastor  in  Pittsburgh  and 
Allegheny  and  founder  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions.  Dr.  Swift  again  was  the  great-great- 
grandson  of  the  Rev.  John  Eliot,  the  revered  and  ever- 
honored  "Apostle  to  the  Indians  "  for  half  a  century 
from  1639.  Such  an  ancestry  is  never  forgotten  by  the 
God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob, 

THE   RULING   ELDEES. 

Of  these  no  record  has  been  preserved  previous  to 
1856.  Since  that  time  their  names  and  dates  of  instal- 
lation are  as  follows :  Clem.  Tingley,  1856 ;  Joseph 
Boucher,  1856 ;  Adam  D.  McKell,  1856 ;  James  W. 
Boyd,  1857;  Samuel  W.  Roop,  1859;  Nicholas  B. 
Unruh,  1860;  Samuel  T.  Bodine,  1861;  Samuel  Hodg- 
don,  1864;  Edmund  Bockius,  1870;  John  H.  Tingley, 
1870 ;  I.  Newton  Baker,  1870 ;  John  Krickbaum,  1870; 
John  T.  Roberts,  1871;  James  W.  Mason,  1875;  Louis 
Wagner,  1878 ;  William  H.  Scott,  1879 ;  Samuel  G. 
Jones,  1887;   Edward  T.  Mason,  1887. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  251 

Messrs.  Wagner,  Scott,  Jones  and  Mason  are  the 
existing  Session,  who  conduct  the  spiritual  afiairs  of 
this  church  with  a  rare  spirit  of  harmony  and  zeal  and 
enterprise.  Mr.  Wagner  is  the  well-known  an<l  highly- 
esteemed  officer  in  the  government  of  the  city  who  has 
so  long  taken  a  most  honorable  part  in  all  our  public 
affairs.  Mr.  Scott  is  the  author  of  the  sketch  of  the 
church's  history  to  which  we  have  already  referred,  who 
by  his  loyalty  to  his  Church  and  her  King,  his  activity 
in  every  good  cause  and  his  liberality  is  a  blessing  such 
as  not  many  congregations  enjoy. 

MISCELLANEOUS, 

Among  the  many  remarkable  things  connected  with 
this  highly-favored  church  is  the  following,  which  we 
give  in  the  language  of  WatsorCs  Annals:  "Among  its 
recollections  was  that  of  its  being  the  place  where  in 
1793  General  Washington  and  his  family  regularly 
went  as  often  as  they  had  English  preaching,  which 
was  sometimes  done  by  Dr.  Smith  from  the  Falls  of 
Schuylkill." 

We  may  not  close  this  brief  epitome  of  this  church 
without  alluding  to  its  extraordinary  Christian  enter- 
prise at  the  present  time.  Within  two  or  three  years 
it  has  erected  an  excellent  manse  for  its  pastor,  a  fine 
lecture-room  and  Sabbath-school  house  for  itself,  as  well 
as  a  beautiful  new  church-edifice.  It  has  also  taken  a 
leading  part  in  organizing  and  building  the  jNIt.  Airy 
church,  and  has  borne  the  great  part  of  the  expense  in 
the  erection  of  our  newest  house  of  worship — that  of 
the  Church  of  the  Redeemer. 

DOYLESTOWN   AND    DEEP    RUN. 

Though  the  history  of  this  ghurch  extends  over  a 


252  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO  COLLEGE. 

period  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  years,  the  greater 
part  of  it  is  one  of  such  even  and  quiet  progress  that  it 
is  easily  written.  At  first  its  history  is  somewhat  com- 
plicated, but  it  is  nevertheless  deeply  interesting.  The 
histories  of  Deep  Run  and  Doylestown  are  so  inter- 
woven with  each  other  that  they  must  be  traced  to- 
gether ;  the  churches  are  in  fact  one — though  separate 
organizations,  they  have  always  been  one  and  the  same 
pastoral  charge,  and  in  reality  stand  related  as  prede- 
cessor and  successor. 

Our  history  has  first  to  do,  and  that  for  eighty-three 
of  its  years,  with  Deep  Run.  The  original  name  it  bore, 
and  that  for  six  years,  was  "  Mr.  Tennent's  Upper  Con- 
gregation." Deep  Run  was  a  settlement  twelve  miles 
north  of  Mr.  Tennent's  Neshaminy  church  and  Log 
College.  It  was  a  community  composed  of  Scotch-Irish 
Presbyterians.  When  Mr.  Tennent  settled  at  Nesham- 
iny in  1726  he  seems  to  have  established  this  as  an  out- 
lying preaching-place  at  which  he  held  occasional  serv- 
ices. For  six  years  he  continued  this  as  a  mere  mission 
without  organization  or  ecclesiastical  form.  But  as  it 
grew  and  became  more  important  it  was  necessary  to 
form  it  into  a  distinct  church.  This  was  accordingly 
done  in  1732,  and  the  name  given  to  it  was  "Mr.  Ten- 
nent's Upper  Congregation  " — a  name  that  appears  on 
the  records  of  Synod.  This  name  and  the  date  1732 
mark  the  real  beginning  of  the  Doylestown  church. 

Mr.  Tennent  continued  to  supply  the  new  enterprise 
— not  every  Sabbath,  we  may  presume^for  six  years 
more,  when  in  1738  declining  health  forced  him  to 
accept  an  assistant  in  the  double  charge  of  it  and 
Neshaminy,  he  having  the  Log  College  also  under 
his  care.  This  assistant  was  the  Rev.  Francis  Mc- 
Henry,  a  young  man  of  twenty-eight,  recently  come 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  253 

from  Ireland.  About  the  same  time  the  name  of  the 
church  was  changed  to  that  of  Deep  Run.  Mr.  Mc- 
Henry  seems  to  have  taken  the  full  charge  of  the 
Deep  Run  congregation,  to  which  he  was  ordained 
September  13,  1739,  while  he  preached  every  third 
Sabbath  for  Mr.  Tennent  at  Neshaminy. 

From  the  original  records  of  tlie  family  we  have 
obtained  a  sketch  of  Mr.  McHenry,  which  is  so  fine  a 
specimen  of  the  life  and  character  of  these  early  Scotch- 
Irish  ministers  that  we  will  give  it  in  full :  "  He  was 
born  on  the  island  of  Rathlin,  between  Scotland  and 
Ireland.  The  family  were  obliged  to  take  refuge  in 
the  glens  of  Antrim  in  the  North  of  Ireland  from  the 
persecutions  they  were  enduring  in  Scotland.  An 
aunt,  who  was  a  staunch  Presbyterian,  came  over  from 
Scotland  on  a  visit  when  Francis  was  about  fourteen 
vears  old,  and  on  her  return  took  him  with  her  to  edu- 
cate  him  for  the  ministry  in  her  own  Church.  Soon 
after  completing  his  studies  with  two  other  brothers  he 
came  to  America.  One  of  these  brothers  located  near 
Baltimore,  and  from  him  Fort  McHenry  was  named; 
the  other  located  at  Fort  Du  Quesne,  near  Pittsburgh, 
while  Francis  came  here  to  the  Forks  of  the  Delaware — 
now  Easton — and  commenced  his  ministry.  Soon  after- 
ward he  was  appointed  to  preach  at  Neshaminy,  assist- 
ing Mr.  Tennent  at  Deep  Run  and  at  Red  Hill  or 
Tiuicum.  Every  third  Sabbath  he  preached  at  all 
three  of  the  churches.  For  a  number  of  years  his  sal- 
ary was  six  hundred  dollars  with  homestead  privileges. 
He  used  to  preach  in  the  morning  at  Deep  Run,  ride 
on  horseback  to  Neshaminy,  preach  there  in  the  after- 
noon, then  ride  to  Red  Hill  and  preach  there  in  the 
evening,  stay  over  night  with  some  of  the  people  and 
return  to  Deep  Run  on  Monday  morning."     Some  of 


254  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO   COLLEGE. 

his  descendants  are  still  to  be  found  in  the  Doylestown 
and  other  churches. 

The  Old  and  New  Light  controversy  was  culminating 
in  1739,  and  came  to  an  open  rupture  in  two  years. 
Mr.  Tennent  took  the  side  of  the  New  Lights,  Mr. 
McHenry  that  of  the  Old.  The  Neshaminy  church 
was  divided,  and  Mr.  Tennent,  with  his  adherents, 
put  up  a  new  building  for  their  congregation  in  the 
same  grounds  with  the  old  meeting-house.  Mr.  Mc- 
Henry remained  in  charge  of  the  Old  Side  party, 
giving  half  his  time  to  it  and  half  to  Deep  Run, 
which  latter  remained  undivided  with  the  Old  Side. 
After  two  years,  in  1743,  the  people  of  Deep  Run 
built  their  first  house  of  worship,  and  on  March  16th 
Mr.  McHenry  was  installed  as  the  pastor.  At  this  point 
all  connection  with  Neshaminy  was  ended,  and  hence- 
forward we  have  to  do  with  Deep  Run  alone  for  seventy 
years. 

The  Doylestown  church  grew  out  of  that  in  Deep 
Run,  and  its  beginnings  were  on  this  wise :  At  the  time 
of  its  formation  Doylestown  was  but  a  small  hamlet 
lying  six  miles  south  of  Deep  Run.  In  1804  the  Rev- 
Uriah  DuBois,  who  was  then  the  pastor  of  the  Deep 
Run  church,  began  to  hold  services  at  Doylestown  as 
a  preaching-station.  He  preached  in  a  new  school- 
house  which  had  just  been  put  up  in  the  village.  His 
audiences  there  increasing  in  number  and  interest,  he 
had  himself  released  from  Tinicum,  another  church  to 
which  he  ministered,  and  devoted  his  whole  time  to 
Deep  Run  and  Doylestown.  Still  his  audiences  con- 
tinued to  increase,  until  in  a  few  years  the  people 
began  to  build  a  house  of  worship,  which  was  finished 
and  dedicated  in  1815. 

From  that  time  forward,  Doylestown  church  went  on 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  255 

to  increase,  while  that  of  Deep  Run,  because  of  clianges 
in  the  population  of  the  neighborhood,  became  more 
and  more  feeble.  Gradually  the  number  of  services  in 
the  one  was  increased,  while  in  the  other  they  were 
diminished.  This  process  went  on  from  year  to  year, 
until  now,  for  a  long  time  they  have  been  held  in 
Doylestown  twice  on  every  Sabbath,  but  in  Deep  Run 
only  occasionally. 

From  this  sketch  it  will  be  seen  that  the  succession  in 
the  life  of  this  old  church  divides  itself  into  three  dis- 
tinct periods  :  (1)  that  of  "  Mr.  Tennent's  Upper  Con- 
gregation," 1732,  six  years ;  (2)  that  of  Deep  Run, 
1738,  seventy-seven  years ;  (3)  and  that  of  Doylestown, 
1815,  seventy-three  years. 

THE    BUILDINGS. 

In  the  Deep  Run  church  there  have  been  three  meet- 
ing-houses which  successively  have  occupied  the  same 
spot. 

(1)  The  first  was  constructed  of  logs  in  1732,  when 
Mr.  Tennent  had  the  church  first  organized.  This  re- 
mained standing  for  about  thirty-four  years,  or  until 
1766. 

(2)  The  second  was  built  of  stone,  about  the  year 
1766.  Probably  the  old  logs  were  then  decaying,  and 
possibly  a  larger  structure  was  needed  for  the  increased 
number  of  worshipers.  This  remained  as  the  gather- 
ing-place of  the  people  for  seventy-five  years,  or  until 
1841. 

(3)  The  third  was  built  of  stone  in  the  year  1841. 
This  is  the  house  of  worship  which  is  still  standing,  and 
though  but  few  attend  it  on  the  infrequent  occasions 
when  it  is  opened  for  worship,  it  is  most  venerable  be- 
cause of  its  associations  with  that  spot  where  God  has 


256  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

been  worshiped  by  successive  generations  for  a  century 
and  a  half. 

The  first  church-edifice  of  Doylestown,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  was  finished  in  1815.  Thirty-five  years 
afterward,  or  in  1850,  it  was  considerably  enlarged  and 
much  changed  in  appearance.  It  stood  for  fifty-five 
years.  This  was  the  building  which  many  of  us  have 
associated  with  our  first  recollections  of  Doylestown.  It 
was  the  one  in  which  the  chief  work  of  the  greatly 
revered  pastor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Andrews,  was  accomplished. 

The  present  very  imposing  structure  was  finished  in 
1872.  It  is  a  commodious  building,  ninety  by  sixty 
feet  in  dimensions,  and  will  contain  an  audience  of  nearly 
a  thousand  persons.  The  cost  of  its  erection  was  about 
thirty-one  thousand  dollars. 

A  lecture-room  for  the  weekly  lecture,  for  prayer- 
meetings  and  for  Sabbath-school  and  other  purposes 
was  built  in  1835.  A  fine  manse  for  the  pastor's  use 
was  finished  in  1888. 

THE    PASTORS. 

Considering  the  long  period  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
six  years  which  the  history  of  this  church  covers,  the 
list  of  its  pastors,  only  ten  in  number,  is  a  remarkably 
short  one  and  speaks  well  for  the  character  of  the  peo- 
ple, as  well  as  for  the  men  who  have  been  their  pastors. 
It  is  as  follows :  William  Tennent,  Sr.,  1732,  six  years ; 
Francis  McHenry,  1738,  nineteen  years;  James  Latta, 
1761,  nine  years;  Hugh  Magill,  1770,  two  years; 
James  Grier,  1776,  fifteen  years;  Uriah  DuBois,  1798, 
twenty-three  years ;  Charles  Hyde,  1823,  six  years ; 
Henry  Hotchkiss,  1829,  two  years ;  Silas  M,  Andrews, 
D.  D.,  1831,  fifty  years  (almost)  ;  William  A.  Patton, 
1881,  the  present  pastor. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  257 

Of  three  of  these — namely,  Messrs.  Magill,  Hyde  and 
Hotchkiss — we  liave  no  other  information  than  that  of 
the  dates  of  tlieir  service.  Of  tlie  others  a  few  additional 
facts  will  be  interesting  and  instructive. 

Mr.  Tennent  has  been  so  prominently  before  us  al- 
ready in  connection  with  the  Log  College  and  Nesham- 
iny  church  that  we  add  but  little.  The  only  thing 
farther  we  see  of  him  here  is  additional  evidence  of 
his  wonderful  zeal  and  industry.  It  was  not  enough 
that  he  had  on  his  hands  the  Log  College  and  the  charge 
of  the  Neshaminy  church,  but  he  was  also  willing  to 
assume  the  additional  burden  of  another  congregation, 
and  that  at  a  distance  of  twelve  miles.  Every  time  he 
preached  at  Deep  Run  involved  a  journey  of  twenty-four 
miles,  and  that  in  winter  as  well  as  summer  for  six  years ! 
No  wonder  his  health  began  to  fail  under  it. 

Mr.  McHenry  must  have  been  a  prominent  per- 
son in  the  church  at  that  time.  That  young  man  from 
Ireland  soon  became  one  of  the  most  eminent  and  use- 
ful ministers  of  his  day.  Associated  with  Tennent  in 
the  Deep  Run  church,  a  hearer  of  Whitefield  when  the 
latter  {)reached  at  Neshaminy  and  probably  a  participant 
in  the  services,  the  supply  of  the  old  Neshaminy  church 
when  the  New  Side  branched  off  from  it,  and  then  so 
long  engaged  in  laying  foundations  for  the  Deep  Run 
and  Doylestown  church,  he  is  well  worthy  of  an  emi- 
nent name  in  our  annals.  He  also  must  have  been 
much  honored  and  trusted  in  his  day.  He  had  the 
extraordinary  distinction  of  having  been  twice  elected 
Moderator  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia.  He  was  an 
influential  member  of  all  the  committees  that  were 
appointed  from  time  to  time  to  bring  about  a  reunion 
of  the  severed  branches  of  the  Old  and  New  Light 
schism,  and  of  other  important  committees  and   com- 

17 


258  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

missions.  He  was  appointed  by  Synod  to  spend  two 
months  on  a  mission  to  the  destitute  places  and  con- 
gregations in  Virginia.  Scarce  an  office  of  special 
responsibility  but  seems  to  have  been  entrusted  to  Mr. 
McHenry. 

He  died  January  23,  1757,  in  the  forty-seventh  year 
of  his  age,  in  the  midst  of  the  flock  with  whom  he  had 
spent  his  entire  ministry,  and  with  their  remains  his 
lie  mingled  in  the  old  graveyard  of  Deep  Run,  with 
this  inscription  on  his  monument:  "  This  marble,  sacred 
to  the  memory  of  the  Reverend  and  pious  Mr.  Francis 
McHenry,  whose  mortal  part  lies  here  *  interred,  was 
bestowed  by  his  grateful  congregation.  He  was  mod- 
est and  prudent;  a  learned  divine  and  an  excellent 
preacher ;  a  vigilant  pastor,  and  a  truly  good  man,  who 
made  it  his  study  to  live  in  peace  and  to  win  souls  to 
Jesus  Christ.  He  was  born  in  Ireland,  A.  D.  1710, 
and  finished  his  course,  January  23d,  Anno  Domini 
1757.  He  lived  beloved  and  died  lamented.  Reader, 
remember  death  and  imitate  his  virtues." 

Mr.  Latta  is  a  name  connected  with  one  of  the  best 
known  ministerial  families  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
As  that  name  and  family  are  fully  commemorated  in 
other  histories  similar  to  this,  and  are  so  well  known,  it 
is  not  necessary  to  dwell  on  them  here. 

Mr.  Grier  also  bore  a  well-known  Presbyterian 
name.  His  descendants  in  their  various  branches  are 
still  found  dispersed  throughout  these  old  historic 
churches,  and  wherever  found  they  are  always  loyal  and 
true  to  the  Church  of  their  fathers.  His  death,  after  he 
had  served  the  church  for  fifteen  years,  was  very,  sin- 
gular. Although  he  was  a  most  grave  man,  his  risibili- 
ties were  excited  one  day  by  the  frantic  but  vain  en- 
deavors of  his  servant  to  catch  a  pig,  and  he  laughed  so 


I 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  259 

immoderately  as  to  burst  a  blood-vessel,  and  almost 
immediately  expired. 

Mr.  DuBois  while  he  served  as  pastor  of  this 
church  also  supplied  the  old  church  of  Tinieum,  and 
gave  up  the  latter  in  1808,  that  he  might  minister  to 
the  new  enterprise  that  was  arising  in  Doylestown. 
His  is  another  of  the  names  that  are  justly  cherished 
in  the  annals  of  our  Presbyterian  Church.  How  much 
are  we  indebted  to  these  old  families  for  the  sanctifying 
influences  which,  received  from  godly  fathers,  as  in  this 
instance  from  a  Huguenot  ancestry,  they  have  dissemi- 
nated throu2;h  all  the  ramifications  of  societv,  we  never 
can  know.  Mr.  DuBois  had  eight  children :  Charles 
E.,  who  practiced  law  before  the  Bucks  county  courts 
for  forty  years;  Amelia,  who  married  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Aaron,  principal  for  many  years  of  the  Young  Men's 
Seminary  of  Norristown ;  the  Rev.  Robert  DuBois, 
who  was  the  pastor  of  the  New  London  Presbyterian 
church  in  Chester  county  for  forty  years ;  Samuel  F., 
artist;  William  E.,  for  many  years  assayer  in  the  Mint 
at  Philadelphia ;  Matilda,  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Andrews,  pastor  of  this  church  for  half  a  century ; 
Lewis;  and  Mary,  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Silas  H. 
Thompson.  Who  can  conceive  of  the  blessed  influ- 
ences sent  out  far  and  near  by  the  family  of  that  one 
pastor  of  the  Doylestown  church ! 

Dr.  Andrews  is  a  name  that  can  never  be  forgotten  in 
the  annals  of  either  this  church  or  this  Presbytery.  His 
pastorate  was  longer  than  that  of  any  other  man  who 
ever  held  that  sacred  ofiice  in  this  Presbytery.  Doyles- 
town was  his  first  and  only  charge,  and  when  he  finally 
fell  at  his  post  he  had  held  that  office  for  half  a  cen- 
tury, lacking  only  a  few  months.  We  would  therefore 
dwell  lovingly  on  his  memory. 


260  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

When  he  came  to  this  church  he  was  a  youth  fresh 
from  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Princeton,  to  which 
he  had  come  three  years  before  from  North  Carolina. 
He  was  ordained  and  installed  November  16,  1831. 

A  few  comprehensive  facts  are  all  that  we  can  use 
by  which  to  convey  some  idea  of  the  man. 

In  addition  to  his  extraordinary  diligence  and  suc- 
cess in  his  appropriate  work  as  pastor,  Dr.  Andrews 
was  a  man  of  great  public  spirit.  For  many  years  he 
conducted  a  seminary  for  the  training  of  young  men 
and  boys.  He  took  an  active  part  in  all  the  enterprises 
intended  to  improve  the  town  and  county  in  which  he 
lived.  He  was  prominent  in  every  effort  to  elevate  the 
moral  and  social  condition  of  the  community. 

In  all  ecclesiastical  bodies  he  was  most  faithful  in 
attendance  and  active  in  every  duty  assigned  him. 
For  many  years  he  was  the  prompt  and  accurate  stated 
clerk  of  Synod.  From  the  Presbytery  he  was  never 
absent  unless  for  absolutely  unavoidable  causes.  His 
words  of  wisdom  and  plans  of  work  can  never  pass 
away  from  the  memory  of  those  who  had  the  privilege 
of  being  associated  with  him. 

But  it  was  in  his  own  special  congregation  that  his 
grand  life-work  can  best  be  contemplated.  In  this  as 
in  all  the  duties  of  life  one  of  the  great  secrets  of 
his  success  was  his  rigid  adherence  to  fixed  system  in 
all  that  he  did.  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  man  could 
be  named  who  was  more  methodical  than  was  Dr. 
Andrews  in  everything.  In  all  his  work  and  business 
and  studies  and  intercourse  with  the  world,  and  even 
in  recreations,  it  was  true  of  him  that  he  "  had  a  place 
for  everything,  and  everything  in  its  place."  His 
hours,  and  even  minutes,  for  reading  and  writing  and 
other  duties  were  fixed,  and  at  the  appointed  minute, 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  261 

no  matter  how  niiicli  interested  he  might  be,  he  would 
break  ofi*  for  the  recurring  employment.  He  would 
rise  in  the  morning  at  the  fixed  hour,  and  he  would 
make  the  daily  record  of  the  degrees  in  the  thermome- 
ter. In  ffivinj:  out  the  text  of  his  sermon  he  would  in- 
variably  name  the  book  first,  the  chapter  next  and  the 
verse  last — this  order,  and  no  other.  "He  was  peculiar 
about  numbers,  and  had  a  great  liking  for  them  "  in 
everything.  These  may  appear  small  matters,  but  life 
is  made  up  of  small  matters,  and  such  as  these  add  im- 
mensely to  its  comfort  and  its  usefulness. 

The  amount  of  work  which  he  was  thus  enabled  to 
accomplish  in  his  fifty  years  of  labor  seems  almost 
incredible.  He  wrote  out  fully  and  accurately /owr^een 
hundred  and  eighty  sermons — sufficient  to  make  seventy 
duodecimo  volumes  of  four  hundred  pages  each ;  he 
attended  twelve  hundred  and  sixty-six  funerals;  he 
performed  the  ceremony  of  holy  matrimony  twelve 
hundred  and  forty-two  times.  It  is  a  very  significant 
fact  that  the  number  of  funerals  and  marriages  in 
those  fifty  years  were  so  nearly  equal — namely,  twelve 
hundred  and  sixty-six  and  twelve  hundred  and  forty- 
two.  More  impressive  still  is  the  fact,  which  his  usual 
accuracy  has  preserved  to  us,  that  during  his  ministry 
there  were  added  to  the  church  no  less  than  one  thou- 
sand and  fifty  souls  !  One  thousand  and  fifty  !  What 
a  work,  and  what  a  reward  ! 

It  will  be  so  instructive  to  others  in  the  ministry 
that  we  must  preserve  a  few  things  about  his  private 
studies  and  devotions.  In  his  earlier  years  it  was  his 
invariable  habit  to  read  portions  of  the  Greek  and  He- 
brew Scriptures  every  day.  Of  course  he  was  too  sys- 
tematic not  to  alternate,  so  that  he  could  carry  forward 
both  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments,  and  so  lay  up 


262  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

the  treasures  of  both  and  keep  his  mind  familiar  with 
the  language  of  each.  As  to  the  English  Bible,  his 
reading  of  it,  both  in  private  and  in  the  family,  was 
very  regular  and  thorough.  He  had  a  system  which 
took  him  through  and  through  the  whole  word  of  God 
in  incessant  course.  With  all  earnest  students  of  the 
Bible,  he  held  that  the  reading  of  the  whole  Scriptures 
consecutively  is  far  more  profitable  than  taking  it  up 
here  and  there  in  detached  fragments.  In  this  course 
of  daily  reading  which  he  adopted,  and  never  inter- 
mitted until  his  last  days,  he  went  through  the  entire 
Holy  Oracles  forty-seven  times. 

His  death  occurred  March  7,  1881.  In  the  follow- 
ing November  he  would  have  terminated  the  fiftieth 
year  of  his  pastorate.  His  funeral,  which  took  place 
on  the  11th,  manifested  how  high  and  how  widespread 
was  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held.  Among  the 
multitude  who  attended  were  not  only  his  own  congre- 
gation, but  great  numbers  of  the  citizens  of  Doyles- 
town  and  leading  men  from  the  surrounding  county. 
All  the  neighboring  ministers  were  present.  Dr.  Cat- 
tell,  president  of  Lafayette  College,  and  Dr.  Knox, 
who  has  since  filled  that  ofiice,  took  part  in  the  services. 
The  writer  of  this  sketch  regards  it  as  one  of  the  most 
precious  memories  of  his  whole  life,  though  a  very  sad 
one,  that  he  was  trusted  with  the  delivery  of  the  fune- 
ral sermon  on  the  occasion,  and  that  by  the  dying 
request,  thrice  repeated,  of  the  beloved  friend  whose 
remains  we  were  about  to  commit  to  their  final  resting- 
place. 

Mr.  Patton,  the  present  pastor,  was  installed  May  3, 
1881.  Coming  after  such  a  man  as  Dr.  Andrews,  he 
had  a  difiicult  place  to  fill,  but  he  has  filled  it  well,  and 
the  church  goes  on  to  prosper  greatly. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  263 


THE    RULING   ELDERS. 

Of  these,  a  long  list  of  most  excellent  men  has  been 
preserved.  It  is  as  follows,  commencing  with  1706: 
Thomas  Stewart,  James  Ferguson,  Andrew  Dunlap, 
John  Mann,  John  C.  Ernst,  Jonas  Newton,  John 
Beatty,  Dr.  W.  S.  Hendrie,  James  McNeely,  Samuel 
Godshalk,  Nathan  Lewis,  John  Widdifield,  John  H. 
Anderson,  Samuel  Hall,  John  Greer,  Silas  H.  Thomp- 
son, John  G.  Mann,  Benjamin  S.  Rich,  John  G.  Har- 
ris. 

The  present  Session  is  composed  of  John  Beatty, 
John  G.  Mann,  Benjamin  S.  Rich,  John  G.  Harris, 
Philip  H.  Fretz,  Charles  H.  Matthews,  John  L.  Du- 
Bois,  Carlisle  Shepherd,  Albert  J.  Jones,  John  K. 
Lovett. 

Thomas  Stewart,  M.  D.,  served  the  church  for  almost 
half  a  century  (1786-1844).  His  children  and  grand- 
children are  still  in  the  church.  His  is  a  name  still 
honored  in  the  whole  community. 

Mr.  Mann  was  elder  thirty-three  years  from  1820. 
His  son,  John  G.  Mann,  was  elder  for  thirty  yeai-s,  and 
his  children,  grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren 
are  still  members  of  this  and  the  adjoining  churches. 

Mr.  Beatty  has  been  elder  since  1832,  a  period  of 
fifty-six  years.  He  is  grandson  of  Rev.  Charles  C. 
Beatty  of  the  Log  College.  God  has  thus  shown  his 
favor  to  his  people  of  the  fourth  generation. 

Dr.  Hendrie  served  as  elder  for  forty-three  years, 
beginning  with  1832.  His  children,  grandchildren  and 
great-grandchildren  are  all  })artakers  in  the  covenant. 

Mr.  Thompson  afterward  entered  the  ministry.  His 
wife  was  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  DuBois,  one  of 
the  pastors. 


264  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Mr.  Rich  has  an  unparalleled  record.  He  has  been 
an  active  elder  in  the  church  for  thirty-Jive  years.  For 
thirty-nine  years  he  has  superintended  one  of  the  Sun- 
day-schools, and  during  all  that  time  has  been  absent 
but  one  Sabbath,  and  that  because  of  a  death  in  his 
family.  The  promise  has  been  made  good  to  him  and 
his  children  for  three  generations. 

Mr.  Matthews  is  a  lawyer  in  Philadelphia  and  is 
active  in  the  churches  there. 

Mr.  DuBois  is  grandson  of  the  pastor  of  the  church 
of  the  same  name.  He  is  an  influential  lawyer  in  the 
courts  of  Bucks  county.  An  admirable  sketch  of  the 
history  of  the  church,  from  which  we  have  gathered 
much  of  our  material  for  this  one,  is  from  his  pen. 

GENERAL   FACTS. 

There  is  little  more  that  needs  to  be  said  concern- 
ing this  greatly-blessed  church.  With  a  noble  his- 
tory running  back  for  one  hundred  and  fifty -six  years, 
with  a  commanding  location  in  the  county-seat  of  one 
of  the  most  populous  parts  of  the  State,  and  with  an 
existing  condition  of  great  prosperity,  it  must  exert  an 
influence  for  unlimited  good.  Its  pastor  is  to  be  greatly 
congratulated  that  he  has  been  placed  in  such  a  field  in 
which  to  work  for  Christ  and  souls.  Most  heartily  do 
we  adopt  the  language  of  one  of  its  elders:  "This 
church  has  exerted  a  good  moral  and  religious  influ- 
ence in  the  community,  and  is  revered  and  honored 
by  all.  May  its  future  be  bright  and  prosperous! 
God  bless  its  labors !  and  may  it  go  on  doing  great 
good  until  the  time  come  when  churches  shall  no 
more  be  needed  in  the  world,  but  the  one  glorious 
Church  of  heaven  will  reign  triumphantly  through- 
out eternity." 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  265 


NEWTOWN    CHURCH. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  the  records  of  this 
church  for  more  than  a  century  of  its  earliest  years 
either  have  been  mislaid  or  are  hopelessly  lost.  For 
one  hundred  years  after  its  formation  in  1734  we  know 
nothing  of  it  with  documentary  certainty,  save  the  suc- 
cession of  its  pastors.  Hence  our  only  sources  of 
information  are  from  the  facts  of  its  formation,  the 
results  of  its  course  and  well-authenticated  traditions. 

After  its  commencement  in  1734  we  can  learn,  with- 
out much  uncertainty,  the  leading  general  outlines  of  its 
history.  Its  course  was  one  of  smooth,  steady  progress 
for  a  century.  There  were  no  divisions,  no  convulsions, 
no  disturbances  from  errors,  no  streams  into  it  and  no 
branches  out  from  it.  Families  providentially  brought 
together  at  the  first  commingled ;  pastors  whose  names 
we  know  followed  one  after  another  at  dates  which  have 
been  preserved;  and  peace  and  prosperity  seem  to  have 
prevailed. 

After  a  century,  in  1838,  light  breaks  in  upon  the 
history,  and  henceforth  we  see  all  very  clearly.  From 
that  time  forward  we  can  trace  every  step  distinctly 
by  the  aid  of  records  which  have  been  carefully  pre- 
served. Amid  some  commotions  the  church  has  gone 
steadily  forward.  Half  a  century  of  constant  progress 
lies  before  us  for  our  investigation. 

In  this  church  we  have  an  example  of  the  com- 
mingling of  various  nationalities  in  the  early  history  of 
our  Presbytery,  and  Ave  would  dwell  on  it  specially 
here,  although  a  similar  process,  perhaps  not  quite  so 
striking,  is  to  be  found  in  some  others  of  these  ohl  his- 
toric churches.  For  instance:  some  of  the  families 
came  from  the  North  of  Ireland,  as  is  revealed  in  the 


266  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

names  of  the  McNairs  and  others.  Some  came  from 
Holland,  as  was  the  case  with  the  Wynkoops,  Van 
Arsdalens,  Van  Zandts  and  others.  Some,  again,  are 
revealed  by  their  names  as  having  come  from  England, 
Scotland  and  other  lands.  They  came  here  and  united 
in  the  same  faith  and  Church.  Their  families  inter- 
married. They  became  homologated  in  their  church, 
family,  social  and  civil  intercourse.  Their  original  lan- 
guages and  dialects  were  gradually  dropped,  and  that 
of  their  present  use  adopted.  Now  all  marks  of  diverse 
nationalities,  save  that  of  their  names,  are  gone,  and 
they  are  one  people  in  one  Church  and  one  faith. 

Our  study  of  this  history  must  be  largely  conducted 
otherwise  than  through  documentary  records.  We  can 
trace  its  outlines  through  the  succession  of  its  pastors. 
We  can  estimate  what  it  must  have  been  from  its  begin- 
nings and  through  the  results  which  we  find  wrought 
out  along  the  intervening  century.  We  can  learn 
from  family  records,  family  growths  and  family  tradi- 
tions. We  can  reach  unerring  conclusions  from  the 
marks  of  God's  footsteps  so  deeply  made  that  they  can- 
not be  effaced,  and  the  meaning  of  which  it  would  not 
be  possible  for  us  to  misinterpret. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

Here  our  information  is  more  full,  and  perfectly 
reliable.  There  have  been  two  church-edifices  which 
have  been  successively  used  for  the  worship  of  God  by 
this  congregation. 

The  first  building  was  erected  in  1734  on  the  Swamp 
Road,  a  mile  west  of  the  town.  Its  location  is  identi- 
fied by  several  unmarked  graves  which  may  be  seen  in 
the  uncultivated  corner  of  a  field.  This  building  was  a 
frame  structure.    It  stood  and  was  used  for  church  pur- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  267 

poses  for  thirty-five  yeai-s,  and  was  afterward  sold  and 
turned  into  a  wagon-bouse. 

The  second  building  was  erected  in  the  year  1769. 
This  is  the  house  which  still  stands,  though  it  has 
undergone  such  frequent  repairs  that  little  more  than 
the  original  walls  remain.  It  is  truly  venerable  from 
the  fact  that  it  has  continued  to  be  the  one  place  of 
worship  of  that  church  for  one  hundred  and  nineteen 
years.  INIany  a  time  has  it  been  renovated  with  more 
or  less  thoroughness.  As  it  stands  to-day,  it  bears  the 
marks  of  the  repairs  that  have  been  made  upon  it  in 
the  years  1842  and  1850  and  .1857,  and  last  of  all  in 
the  year  1870. 

In  1855  an  old  academy  in  the  town  was  purchased, 
and  was  used  for  religious  purposes  in  connection  with  a 
seminary  for  thirty-one  years.  In  1886  this  was  given 
up,  and  a  farewell  service  was  held,  conducted  by  Wil- 
liam Wynkoop,  Esq.,  the  superintendent  of  the  Sab- 
bath-school. 

In  1884  a  neat  frame  chapel,  costing  two  thousand 
dollars,  was  built  by  the  church  at  Edge  wood,  about 
four  miles  from  Newtown,  the  officers  of  the  church 
taking  charge  of  both  its  spiritual  and  its  temporal  af- 
fairs. A  mission  Sabbath-school  is  established  there, 
and  preaching-services  are  held  once  a  month. 

In  the  same  year  an  excellent  stone  chapel,  erected 
in  the  heart  of  the  town,  was  dedicated  with  impressive 
services.  It  is  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  best- 
arranged  Sabbath-school-buildings  in  the  whole  region. 
From  its  elevated  location  it  commands  a  fine  view  of 
the  town  and  surrounding  country. 

THE   PASTORS. 

Of  the  pastors  of  this  church  we  have  no  record  pre- 


I 


268  PBESBTTERT  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

vious  to  the  year  1743.  From  that  dare,  liowever,  the 
succession  is  almost  unbroken  up  to  the  present  time,  a 
period  of  one  hundred  and  tortT-fiye  years.  It  includes 
a  list  of  twelve  names,  and  is  as  follows :  Hugh  Carlisle, 
D.  D..  1743.  four  years:  James  Campbell.  1747,  twelve 
vears :  Henrv  Martin.  1759.  ten  vears :  James  Bovd, 
1769.  forty-four  years ;  James  Joyce,  1813,  two  years; 
Alexander  Boyd,  1815,  twenty-three  years ;  Eobert  D. 
Morris,  D.  D.,  1838,  eighteen  years :  GJe^trge  Burrows, 
D.  D.,  1856,  three  years ;  Henry  F.  Lee,  1859,  two 
years :  Samuel  J.  Milliken,  1861.  five  years ;  (reorge 
C.  Bush.  1866,  ten  vears :  A.  McElrov  Wvlie,  1877 
to  1888,  eleven  years. 

Had  we  the  requisite  information  to  guide  us,  the 
study  of  this  list  of  faithful  pastors,  many  of  whom 
held  their  pastoral  charge  for  so  long  a  time,  would  be 
eminently  instructive,  but  concerning  some  of  them  we 
know  absolutely  nothing  more  than  the  name  and  the 
date  of  their  service. 

Of  Mr.  Carlisle  we  have  no  knowledge. 

Was  Mr.  James  Campbell  a  brother  of  the  Rev. 
John  Campbell  who  at  the  same  time  was  pastor  of  the 
church  of  Xorriton,  and  concerning  whom  so  many 
remarkable  facts  are  preserved  ?  The  question  cannot 
be  answered. 

Of  3Ir.  Martin  we  have  nothing  whatever  to  record 
save  the  date  of  his  ministry  as  given  above. 

Concerning  3tlr.  James  Boyd,  who  held  the  sacred 
office  so  long  in  this  church,  we  would  like  to  know 
much  more  than  we  can  find  on  record.  All  that  we 
can  discover  in  the  records  which  have  been  preserved 
for  us  is  simply  that  he  came  to  this  country  from  Ire- 
land in  his  youth,  aud  was  the  faithful  pastor  here  for 
fortv-four  vears. 


FORilATIVE  PERIOD.  269 

Concerning  Mr.  Joyce  also  we  have  no  additional 
facts  than  date  and  length  of  service. 

Of  Alexander  Boyd,  who  ministered  to  this  church 
for  twenty-five  years,  we  have  been  able  to  gather  up 
much  more.  He  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, was  graduated  at  Dickinson  College  under 
the  celebrated  Dr.  Nesbitt,  settled  first  as  pastor  in 
Bedford,  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  this  Xewtown 
church  in  the  year  1815.  His  wife,  who  survived 
him,  was  granddaughter  of  Dr.  Beat^y  of  Log-College 
fame,  and  sister  of  Mrs.  Steel  of  Abiugton,  and  of  Mr. 
John  Beatty,  the  venerable  elder  of  the  Doylestown 
cliurch,  who  is  still  living. 

After  this  the  list  has  a  personal  interest  for  us,  in- 
asmuch as  we  have  had  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
all  the  persons  whose  names  are  upon  it. 

Dr.  Morris  was  installed  October  3, 1838.  After  the 
close  of  his  long  pastorate  here  he  became  principal  of 
an  important  f&male  seminary  in  Ohio,  and  continued 
in  that  influential  position  for  about  twenty-five  years, 
when  he  died. 

Dr.  Burrows  was  installed  on  May  13,  1857.  Sub- 
sequently he  became  professor  in  a  college  of  San 
Francisco,  California,  and  has  continued  in  that  posi- 
tion ever  since.  He  wrote  a  popular  commentary  on 
the  Song  of  Solomon. 

Mr.  Lee  was  installed  on  April  26,  1860.  He  is 
now  pastor  of  a  church  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Milliken  was  instidled  November  6, 1862.  Af- 
terward he  became  pastor  of  a  church  in  Huntingdon 
Presbytery,  and  has  now  charge  of  the  church  of  Fox 
Chase  in  this  Presbytery. 

Mr.  Bush  was  installed  November  8,  1866.  He 
had    done    good    service   in    the    Siicred   oflice    before 


270  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

coming    here,    and    he    has    also    since    leaving    this 
charge. 

Mr.  Wylie  was  installed  on  the  second  Thursday  of 
June,  1877.  He  is  one  of  the  members  and  possesses 
the  characteristics  of  the  very  eminent  ministerial  fam- 
ily of  Wylie  in  this  city  and  State.  His  uncle  was  the 
provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  did  more 
than  any  other  man  of  his  day  to  build  up  that  great 
institution.  His  cousin,  the  Rev.  Theodore  W.  J. 
"Wylie,  D.  D.,  holds  the  longest  pastorate  of  any  Pres- 
byterian minister  of  Philadelphia  or  vicinity. 

THE   RULING   ELDERS. 

Here  also  we  cannot  but  lament  that  we  have  not  the 
whole  roll.  All  the  names  that  we  have  previous  to 
1838  are  the  following :  James  Slack,  Anthony  Tor- 
bert,  Reading  Beatty,  M.  D.,  David  S.  McNair,  Abra- 
ham Slack,  Solomon  McNair,  Lamb  Torbert,  David 
Taggart.  Since  then  the  following  have  acted :  Wil- 
liam Bennett,  1838;  James  M.  Torbert,  1838;  William 
H.  Slack,  1838 ;  Lamb  Torbert,  1838 ;  Isaac  Van  Ars- 
dalen,  1838;  Jonathan  Wynkoop,  1839;  James  M.  Mc- 
Nair, 1839 ;  James  S.  McNair,  1854 ;  David  McNair, 
1866  ;  Cyrus  T.  Van  Arsdalen,  1866  ;  James  Ander- 
son, 1872;  William  D.  Stewart,  1872;  William  T. 
Seal,  1872;    William  Wynkoop,  1872. 

Even  this  list,  though  in  but  one  thread  of  the 
church's  history,  awakens  many  precious  memories  of 
the  years  of  that  history.  Almost  every  name  sug- 
gests peculiar  reminiscences  of  the  old  families  of  the 
church. 

The  Slacks :  No  less  than  three  of  these  are  on  the 
roll  of  these  elders.  They  are  all  of  one  family  in  its 
several  generations,  and  they  all  tell  in  the  most  em- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  271 

phatic  way  of  God's  covenant  mercies  to  his  people  and 
his  Church. 

The  Torbert  family :  Three  of  them  are  here  who 
have  held  the  holy  office  of  elder  in  this  church. 
Even  three,  however,  are  not  all,  for  various  members 
of  the  family,  becoming  connected  by  marriage  with 
others  of  the  old  ftimilies,  were  to  be  found  in  the  dif- 
ferent branches  of  the  church.  Their  names  are  on 
almost  every  page  of  its  history. 

Very  few  men  have  had  a  more  eventful  and  honor- 
able history  than  Dr.  Reading  Beatty.  He  was  the  son 
of  the  Rev.  Charles  C.  Beatty  of  the  Log  College.  Like 
all  the  Beatty  family,  he  had  a  strong  taste  for  the  mili- 
tary life.  Accordingly,  though  educated  for  the  medi- 
cal profession,  he  early  entered  the  Revolutionary  army 
as  a  private  soldier  in  the  very  hottest  period  of  that 
terrible  struggle ;  soon  reached  the  rank  of  captain ; 
fought  courageously  in  battle  after  battle;  was  taken 
prisoner  and  incarcerated  on  the  infamous  prison- 
ship  Myrtle  in  New  York  harbor  and  long  continued 
a  captive  in  Long  Island ;  was  released  at  last,  and 
then,  having  studied  medicine,  he  became  surgeon  of  a 
regiment  of  artillery,  and  continued  in  the  service  until 
the  war  was  closed.  After  that  he  settled  in  Fallsing- 
ton,  Bucks  county,  not  far  from  Newtown,  whose  church 
he  attended,  practiced  medicine  there  for  forty  years? 
and  then  retired  to  Newtown,  where  he  resided  the 
three  remaining  years  of  his  life.  He  was  a  ruling  elder 
of  this  church  for  twenty  or  twenty-five  years.  His 
children  were  all  useful  and  honored  in  their  lives. 
One  of  them  w^as  the  courtly  and  kind  Dr.  Beatty,  so 
long  an  elder  of  the  Abington  church  ;  one  the  wife 
of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Steel  of  Abington ;  one  the  wife  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  R.  Wilson,  with  whom  she  be- 


272  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

came  missionary  to  the  Choctaw  Indians,  and  soon 
died  among  them ;  one  is  John  Beatty,  an  elder  of 
the  Doylestown  church  to  this  day ;  and  one  was  Miss 
Susan  Beatty,  full  of  grace  and  kindness,  whom  we  so 
well  remember  as  a  member  of  the  family  of  Dr.  Steel. 

In  the  McNairs  we  have  another  of  these  old  family 
histories  which  amaze  us  and  stir  our  whole  souls.  We 
look  over  the  list,  and  we  find  no  less  than  five  of  the 
family,  in  its  successive  generations,  elders  in  this  one 
church — namely,  David  S.,  Solomon,  James  M.,  James 
S.  and  David.  Could  we  help  searching  diligently  into 
such  a  record  ?  The  story  is — the  blessed  story — that  its 
founders,  Samuel  and  Ann,  emigrated  from  the  North 
of  Ireland  in  1725,  a  year  before  Mr.  Tennent  came 
to  Neshaminy,  and  settled  in  this  neighborhood.  Then, 
as  we  trace  the  stream  downward,  in  the  third  genera- 
tion we  find  one  elder;  in  the  fourth  generation  we  find 
two  ministers  and  three  elders ;  in  the  Jifth  generation 
we  find  five  ministers  and  three  elders ;  and  in  the  sixth 
generation  we  find  two  ministers  and  one  elder — in  all, 
from  this  single  family,  eight  ministers  and  eight  elders. 
"Blessed  for  the  father's  sake"  may  well  be  written 
beneath  each  one  of  these  family  records. 

The  next  of  these  old  families  is  that  of  the  Vanars- 
dalens,  the  fifth  generation  of  which  is  now  in  active 
and  righteous  life,  some  in  the  old  church  still,  and 
some  doing  good  service  in  other  congregations.  The 
Jirst  generation  came  from  Holland  in  1700,  and  settled 
in  North  and  South  Hampton,  and  united  with  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  church  there.  The  second  generation 
contained  two  sons,  one  an  elder  and  one  a  minister,  the 
latter  of  whom  died  early.  The  third  generation  con- 
sisted of  three  sons,  all  elders.  The  youngest  of  the 
three  was  Isaac,  a  venerable  man  whom  we  well  remem- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  273 

ber  as  a  frequent  attendant  at  our  meetings  of  Presbytery. 
The  fourth  generation,  so  far  as  we  know  of  it,  consisted 
of  the  eight  children  of  this  Isaac — five  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Of  the  sons,  one  was  a  minister,  and  nearly 
all  the  others  were  elders ;  one  of  them,  Cyrus,  is  at  the 
present  time  a  faithful  and  active  officer  in  the  church. 
The  daughters  are  the  wives  of  elders.  The  ffth  gen- 
eration are  young  men  and  women  in  various  churches — 
some  of  them  officers. 

If  possible,  still  more  remarkable,  as  an  illustration 
of  the  sure  mercies  of  our  covenant-keeping  God,  is  the 
family  of  Wynkoop  in  the  same  church — a  family  whose 
connection  with  various  churches  as  ministers  or  elders 
can  be  clearly  traced  for  ei(/ht  generations.  The  Jirst 
was  Peter,  the  progenitor  of  the  family,  who  came  from 
Utrecht  in  Holland  in  1639,  two  centuries  and  a  half 
ago,  and  settled  in  Albany,  New  York.  The  second 
was  Cornelius,  in  1657  deacon  and  in  1665  elder  in  the 
Reformed  Dutch  church  of  Kingston,  New  York.  The 
third  was  Gerritt,  deacon  in  1712  in  the  same  church 
in  Kingston.  He  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  settle 
in  this  county,  and  in  1744  was  elder  in  the  Reformed 
Dutch  church  of  North  and  South  Hampton.  The 
fourth  generation  included  Gerritt,  Nicholas  and  Gi- 
rardus,  the  latter  of  whom  was  for  nineteen  years  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  General  Assembly,  and  for  several 
of  these  years  its  Speaker.  He  was  also  an  officer  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  The  ffih  was  represented  by  the 
cousins  Henry  and  William.  Henry  was  for  years  a 
judge  in  the  courts,  and  for  a  loug  time  a  member  of 
Congress,  and  William  was  for  years  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  North  and  South  Hampton  Reformed  Dutch 
church.  The  sixth  had  as  its  chief  members  the  eleven 
children  of  the  above  William,  one  of  whom,  Thomas, 

18 


274  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

was  elder  in  this  church  for  about  half  a  century,  whom 
we  well  remember,  and  who  died  in  1879.  The  seventh 
has  as  its  representative  in  the  cliurch  William,  who  has 
been  elder  for  sixteen  years,  who  was  an  officer  in  our 
army  during  the  Secession  War,  and  who  is  now  justice 
of  the  peace  in  Newtown.  As  a  peacemaker  in  both 
church  and  community  he  is  a  most  valuable  man,  and 
as  a  ruling  elder  his  wise  and  earnest  influence  is  most 
salutary.  The  eighth  generation  includes  the  young 
men  and  women  of  the  various  branches  of  the  great 
family,  one  of  whom,  son  of  the  last-named  William,  is 
son-in-law  of  Mr.  Wylie,  one  of  the  church's  pastors. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  another  of  these  elders  of  whom  we 
must  make  a  special  record.  By  his  wife,  daughter  of 
Isaac  Vanarsdalen,  he  was  related  to  the  old  families  to 
whom  the  blessings  of  the  covenant  have  so  richly  de- 
scended. Besides,  his  sweet  and  faithful  influence  as  an 
elder,  first  in  the  church  of  Newtown  and  then  in  that 
of  Frankford,  has  caused  his  memory  to  be  fondly  cher- 
ished. 

We  may  well  question  whether  the  annals  of  the 
whole  Church  can  furnish  a  more  striking  fulfillment 
of  the  Scripture,  "  The  promise  is  to  you  and  to  your 
children,"  than  this  of  the  old  church  of  Newtown.  As 
an  instructive  example  we  have  felt  constrained  to 
dwell  so  long  on  these  family  records  which  are,  in  fact, 
a  rich  treasury  for  our  whole  Presbyterian  Church. 

TINICUM   CHURCH. 

W^e  take  up  the  history  of  this  church  with  peculiar 
sadness  from  the  fact  that  after  having  done  valuable 
service  for  one  hundred  years  it  gradually  declined  and 
has  passed  away  from  the  roll  of  our  congregations. 
J'or  nearly  all  that  we  shall  narrate  concerning  it  we 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  275 

are  indebted  to  Mr.  Turner,  whose  familiarity  with  the 
history  of  all  these  old  churches  and  exceedingly  kind 
researches  have  rendered  the  writer  aid  more  valuable 
than  he  can  well  express. 

In  its  history  this  is  now  known  as  the  Tinicura 
church,  but  at  first  it  wavS  the  Tehicken  church,  and 
sometimes  was  also  called  the  church  of  Red  Hill.  Its 
origin  was  the  result  of  a  settlement  of  Irish  Presbyte- 
rians in  the  township  of  Tinicum.  The  time  of  the 
formation  of  the  church  was  1739,  and  it  ceased  to  be 
represented  in  Presbytery  about  1855.  The  period  of 
its  existence  was  therefore  about  a  hundred  and  ten 
years.  At  first  it  seems  to  have  been  a  mission  of  the 
church  of  Newtown ;  then  for  a  long  time  afterward  it 
had  a  separate  organization. 

For  many  years  it  was  an  influential  church  of  the 
Presbytery,  and  its  name  frequently  appears  in  the 
records  of  the  Synod,  and  always  in  connection  with 
the  Fi7-st  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  Such  prominent 
place  it  held  for  more  than  a  century,  from  1739  to 
1855.  It  is  truly  sad  that  such  a  church  should  have 
passed  away,  but  it  is  satisfactory  to  know  that  except 
Durham  church  it  is  the  only  instance  of  the  kind  in 
all  the  history  of  the  early  churches.  ^loreover,  its 
decline  and  disappearance  were  not  owing  to  defect  in 
the  system  or  unfaithfulness  in  the  members,  but  in 
consequence  of  the  changing  of  the  population  in  the 
region  where  it  was  situated.  The  Scotch-Irish  element 
gradually  removed  to  other  parts  of  the  land,  and  a  non- 
Presbyterian  people  took  its  place. 

It  has,  it  is  true,  disappeared  from  our  sisterhood  of 
churches,  but  it  must  not  disappear  from  our  history. 
At  least  this  monument  must  be  erected  to  a  church 
which  so  long  did  good  service  for  Christ,  and  which 


276  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

sent  out  its  children  to  establish  our  cause  in  other 
regions  of  the  country.  Besides,  there  are  many  things 
in  the  history  of  this  church  that  are  both  curious 
and  instructive,  and  so  form  a  part  of  the  general 
history  of  the  Presbytery.  Indeed,  it  is  doubtful 
whether  we  have  as  full  records  of  the  history  of  any 
of  these  early  churches  as  of  this. 

General  Davis,  in  his  History  of  Bucks  County,  after 
stating  that  it  is  not  known  with  certainty  when  this 
church  was  commenced,  but  that  the  Rev.  James  Camp- 
bell preached  at  Tinicum  and  at  Newtown  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1739,  says  :  "  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  received 
a  call  to  this  church,  then  called  Tehicken,  through 
Francis  Williamson  and  John  Orr,  but  he  continued  to 
supply  his  two  congregations,  Tehicken  and  Newtown, 
occasionally  going  up  to  the  Forks  of  the  Delaware, 
until  1744,  when  he  was  installed  at  Tehicken  on  May 
24th  of  that  year." 

General  Davis  adds:  "A  few  years  afterward  it  was 
decided  to  build  a  new  church,  and  a  controversy  arose 
whether  it  should  be  built  on  the  site  of  the  old  one  or 
at  Red  Hill."  (This  controversy  was  settled  by  the 
casting  of  the  lot,  and,  being  carried  to  the  Synod, 
awakened  much  discussion  there.)  "  It  was  fixed  at  the 
latter  place,  on  account  of  which  Mr.  Campbell  resigned 
in  May,  1749.  He  went  afterward  to  North  Carolina, 
and  died  there." 

The  records  of  the  church  are  missing  down  to  1762, 
and  we  know  nothing  of  its  history  during  the  inter- 
vening period.  On  February  16th  of  that  year  the 
London  Company  conveyed  thirteen  acres  to  the  trustees 
for  the  use  of  the  church.  In  1767  it  was  conveyed 
by  them  to  other  trustees  for  the  Protestant  congrega- 
tion of  Tinicum  and  the  adjoining  township. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  277 

The  records  are  again  silent  until  1785,  when  the  pas- 
tor, the  Rev.  Alexander  Mitchell,  left  the  church.  By 
consent  of  Presbytery  the  congregations  of  Deep  Run 
and  Tinicura  were  united  in  one  charge  in  178o  under 
the  Rev.  James  Grier,  who  served  to  the  close  of  1787. 
Among  the  supplies  for  1788  we  find  the  names  of 
Blair,  Hannah,  Peppard  and  Nathaniel  Irvin.  In  1792 
the  church  gave  a  call  to  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Snowden, 
and  in  1798  the  Rev.  Uriah  DuBois,  after  he  had  been 
installed  at  Deep  Run,  was  invited  to  give  Tinicum  one- 
third  of  his  time.  In  1820  the  Rev.  Alexander  Boyd 
of  Newtown  consented  to  supply  Tinicum  one-fourth 
of  his  time  for  one  year  for  £105,  and  continued  the 
services  until  1826.  From  this  time  the  congregation 
relied  on  transient  supplies.  In  1843  the  trustees  con- 
veyed the  one  undivided  half  of  the  church  and  lot  to 
the  German  Reformed  and  Lutherans,  the  Presbyte- 
rian congregation  retaining  the  privilege  of  occupying 
the  church  one-half  of  the  time. 

THE    BUILDINGS. 

The  quaint-looking  old  stone  building  with  the  stair- 
way to  the  gallery  on  the  outside  was  erected  in  1766, 
This  remained  as  the  only  house  of  worship  for  seventy- 
seven  years,  or  until  1843.  It  was  rebuilt  at  that  date, 
and  is  the  edifice  which  is  now  standing. 

THE   PASTORS. 

Of  these  we  have  a  list  of  seven  whose  united  terms 
of  service  extend  over  a  period  of  one  hundred  and 
eight  years.  Their  names,  the  dates  of  their  installa- 
tion and  the  length  of  time  they  severally  served  are 
as  follows :  James  Campbell,  1739,  ten  years ;  Alexan- 
der Mitchell,  1769,  sixteen  years;  James  Grier,  17S5, 


278  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

two  years ;  Nathaniel  Snowden,  1792,  six  years ;  Uriah 
DuBois,  1798,  twenty-two  years ;  Alexander  Boyd, 
1820,  six  years;   J.  H.  Sherwood,  1845,  two  years. 

Mr.  Mitchell  was  a  licentiate  of  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Brunswick,  but  was,  at  his  own  request,  transferred 
to  the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  as  it  is  always 
called  in  the  old  church-book.  He  was  ordained  and 
installed  November  23,  1768. 

Mr.  Du  Bois  was  at  the  same  time  pastor  of  the  Deep 
Eun  church  from  1798  to  1820. 

Mr.  Sherwood  was  only  stated  supply,  and  that  for 
only  one-fourth  of  his  time. 

THE    RULING   ELDERS. 

The  list  of  these,  for  such  early  days,  is  unusually 
full ;  by  the  persistent  industry  of  Mr.  Turner  it  has 
been  traced  in  the  original  records  as  far  back  as 
to  1768.  It  is  as  follows :  Abraham  V.  Middleswarts, 
1768;  William  McEntyre,  1768;  Daniel  Jamison,  1768; 
Robert  Stewart,  1768  ;  Andrew  Patterson,  1768 ;  David 
Wilson,  1772  ;  Robert  Smith,  1772  ;  Robert  Patterson, 
1772;  Joseph  Hart,  1772 ;  Thomas  Lory,  1785 ;  Moses 
Kelley,  1785;  Thomas  Stewart,  Jr.,  1785;  James 
Wilson,  1785;  Francis  A.  Wilson,  1824;  Jacob  Van- 
derbilt,  1824;  Daniel  Boileau,  1824;  James  Wilson, 
Jr.,  1824;  Samuel  Carrell,  1836;  Jeremiah  Vander- 
bilt,  1836 ;  Stephen  Bennet,  1852 ;  J.  M.  Vanderbilt, 
1852. 

Though  we  know  nothing  personally  of  any  of  these 
twenty-two  elders,  yet  their  mere  names  tell  an  instruct- 
ive story.  They  reveal  to  us  their  nationality.  Almost 
all  manifest  their  North-of-Ireland  origin ;  three  were 
of  Dutch  ancestry,  and  one  was  from  the  brave  Hu- 
guenots of  France.     Then  the  four  Wilsons,  the  two 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  279 

Stewarts,  the  two  Pattersons  and  the  three  Vanderbilta 
bear  the  usual  testimony  to  the  blessings  of  the  cove- 
nant as  extending  throughout  whole  families. 

SPECIAL    ITEMS. 

The  oldest  stone  in  the  graveyard  with  an  inscription 
on  it  is  that  of  James  Blair,  who  died  in  1749,  aged 
eighty-three.  The  fathers  of  the  church  were  English- 
speaking  people,  for  in  the  graveyard  we  read  such 
names  as  Blair,  Wilson,  Thompson  and  Summers. 

In  1789  it  was  resolved  by  the  Session,  Mr.  Grier 
being  the  Moderator,  that  persons  who  desired  to  be 
admitted  to  the  ordinances  for  the  first  time  themselves, 
or  to  have  their  children  baptized,  must  be  "  propounded 
a  week  beforehand ;"  which  rule  was  carried  into  execu- 
tion for  a  number  of  years. 

The  following  items  will  show  the  sad  decline  in  the 
membership  of  the  church  until  finally  it  became  ex- 
tinct. In  1768  the  names  of  eighty-three  members  are 
given  who  signed  the  call  which  was  j)resented  to  Mr. 
Alexander  Mitchell.  In  183G  a  list  of  the  members  of 
the  church  is  given  containing  twenty-four  names,  and 
one  was  added  the  next  year.  In  1846  there  were 
thirty-six  members.  Seven  years  afterward  the  church 
was  no  more. 

FRANKFORD    CHURCH. 

For  our  own  guidance  in  framing  this  history  we 
have  divided  the  churches  into  three  classes — namely, 
the  churches  of  the  Old  Historic  Period,  of  the  His- 
toric Period,  and  the  Period  of  Modern  Progress.  The 
Old  Historic  Period  includes  those  organized  before  the 
formation  of  the  General  Assembly,  in  1788,  eighty- 
three  years;  the  Historic  Period,  those  between  the 
General  Assembly  and  the  organization  of  our  Second 


280  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

Presbytery,  in  1833,  forty-four  years;  and  the  Period 
of  Modern  Progress,  those  commenced  since  1833,  fifty- 
six  years. 

Of  the  Old  Historic  Period,  Frankford  was  the  ninth 
and  last  that  was  founded,  the  date  being  1770.  No 
other  was  established  after  that  until  the  General  As- 
sembly, or  indeed  until  the  present  century. 

OEGANIZATIONS. 

We  have  already  stated  that  Frankford  was  one  of 
the  German  churches  which  originally  entered  into  the 
composition  of  our  Presbytery.  It  was  formed  chiefly 
of  the  people  who  at  first  settled  in  the  region  of  Ger- 
mantown,  and  whose  migration  to  this  country  received 
its  first  impulse  from  the  "  Frankfort  Company "  of 
that  old  city  in  the  Palatinate.  Its  members  were  de- 
scendants of  those  people  whose  fathers  had  suffered  so 
sorely  for  the  gospel's  sake  in  the  Fatherland.  As,' 
however,  we  have  already  described  these  people  and 
the  missionary  pastors  who  came  with  them  or  followed 
after  them,  we  need  not  again  dwell  on  them. 

But  there  was  another  people  who  mingled  with  them 
in  the  church  of  Frankford,  and  of  whom  we  have  no 
other  traces  in  the  churches  of  the  Presbytery.  These 
were  a  German-speaking  people  also,  but  from  the 
land  of  John  Calvin  and  Ulric  Zwingle.  They  were 
a  colony  of  Swiss  Calvinists  from  the  city  of  Basle. 
Their  home  had  been  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Rhine. 
From  the  lofty  clifi"  of  their  native  city  they  had  looked 
afar  off,  on  the  one  side,  over  the  Black  Forest,  with  its 
wild  traditions,  and  on  the  other  over  the  snow-covered 
mountains  of  the  Alps.  They  had  worshiped  in  the 
time-worn  cathedrals  of  their  martyr-fathers.  They  had 
imbibed  a  deeper  piety  in  the  venerable  miinster  which 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  281 

liad  witnessed  the  "  Council  of  Basle,"  and  which  ia 
hallowed  by  the  remains  of  the  great  Erasmus  of  Rot- 
terdam. 

A  small  colony  of  these  Swiss  people  had  found  their 
way,  we  know  not  how,  to  Philadelphii^and  to  Frank- 
ford,  and,  mingling  with  their  kindred  German  people, 
who  spoke  the  same  language  with  themselves  and  held 
the  faith  of  John  Calvin  and  the  Heidelberg  Catechism, 
they  united  with  their  brethren  in  laying  the  founda- 
tions of  this  German  Calvinistic  church. 

There  were  thus  two  elements  in  the  original  compo- 
sition of  this  church — namely,  the  German  and  the 
Swiss.  As  we  have  already  seen,  it  was  originally  a 
branch  or  mission  of  the  old  Market  Square  church 
of  German  town,  the  one  pastor  ministering  to  both. 
This  arrangement  must  have  been  continued  for  a 
long  time,  the  worship  in  Frankford  having  been  held 
probably  in  a  private  house  until  the  colony  of  Swiss 
arrived  and  gave  additional  strength  and  impulse  to  the 
enterprise.  Their  coming  would  seem  to  have  imparted 
new  life,  for  we  find  the  P^rankford  congregation  imme- 
diately afterward  purchasing  the  ground  for  a  church 
and  graveyard.  This  was  in  1769.  The  next  year, 
1770,  the  building  was  erected,  and  consequently  that 
is  the  year  which  has  been  fixed  upon  as  the  date  of 
the  beginning  of  the  church. 

In  the  record  of  the  erection  of  this  building  we  dis- 
cover evidence  of  the  composition  of  the  people  who 
entered  into  the  enterprise.  The  man  who  laid  the 
corner-stone,  and  who  was  then  the  acting  pastor,  was 
a  German,  Mr.  Ffphring,  pastor  of  the  Gi'rniantown 
German  church,  while  the  Frankford  men  who  col- 
lected the  funds  and  conducted  the  work  were  all 
Swiss.     There  were  four  of  these  men  wlio  were  the 


282  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

leaders  in  founding  the  church.  Their  names,  all 
Swiss,  must  be  kept  in  remembrance :  they  were — 
George  Castor  (or  Carstor),  Rudolph  Neff,  Henry 
Rohrer  and  Sirach  Shudy,  Other  names  associated 
with  the  enterprise  indicate  the  Swiss  element  in 
the  congregation,  such  as  John  Myers,  Jacob  Bauer, 
Daniel  Peltz,  Ulric  Neff,  Jacob  Zebley  and  many 
others. 

These  seem  to  have  been  an  eminently  pious  people, 
and  their  religion  not  a  mere  tradition  received  from 
their  fathers ;  for  as  they  began  their  work,  they  de- 
voted the  building,  as  well  as  themselves,  by  a  formal 
dedication  which  is  fortunately  preserved,  and  which 
we  have  had  translated  out  of  the  original  German. 
As  a  specimen  of  its  devout  spirit  we  give  its  opening 
and  closing  sentences:  "In  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trin- 
ity, Amen.  Whereas,  it  has  jjleased  the  almighty  and 
all-wise  God,  through  his  providence  and  his  Holy 
Spirit,  to  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  the  following  per- 
sons— viz. :  George  Castor,  Henry  Rohrer,  Rudolph 
Neff  and  Sirach  Shudy — to  build  a  house  for  the 
glory  of  His  Holy  Name."  This  was  the  opening ; 
the  close  was :  "  Now,  God  Almighty,  Creator  of  the 
universe,  we  commend  to  thee  this  house  which  we 
have  built  in  thy  name  and  for  thy  glory.  Keep 
in  thy  hands  and  protection  those  who  shall  meet 
in  it.  Destroy  all  false  doctrines  and  all  that  is  cal- 
culated to  destroy  thy  word.  Give  now  and  for  ever 
thy  grace,  peace  and  unity,  and  thine  shall  be  the 
thanks  aud  praise,  honor  and  glory,  now  and  for 
ever.     Amen.'" 

After  the  church  had  thus  been  founded  it  continued 
in  connection  with  Market  Square  church,  whose  pas- 
tors supplied  its  pulpit,  for  thirty-two  years,  or  until 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  283 

1802.  It  was  then  called  the  German  Calviuistic 
church,  showing  the  preponderance  of  the  Swiss  ele- 
ment, which  was  under  the  influence  of  Geneva. 
During  all  this  time  the  services  were  in  tlie  Ger- 
man language,  in  which  also  all  the  records  were 
kept. 

After  a  while,  however,  a  change  seems  to  have 
come.  The  first  zeal  had  cooled,  there  was  no  resi- 
dent pastor,  and  the  young  people  were  losing  the 
German  language  and  growing  to  prefer  the  prevail- 
ing English.  The  church  continued  to  decline  until 
in  1807  it  became  almost  disorganized ;  suitable  per- 
sons could  not  be  found  to  fdl  the  offices  of  elders 
and  deacons. 

Then  it  was  that,  by  unanimous  vote  of  the  whole 
people,  the  church  applied  through  its  delegate,  George 
Castor,  to  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  to  be  taken 
under  its  care  as  a  Presbyterian  church.  This  applica- 
tion was  received  and  considered  and  the  following  ac- 
tion taken  by  the  Presbytery :  In  consequence  of  the  vis- 
its and  statements  of  ]Mr.  Castor,  by  adjournment  Pres- 
bytery met  in  the  Frankford  church,  on  December  8, 
1807.  This  was  a  memorable  meeting  of  Presbytery 
in  the  annals  of  the  Church.  The  names  of  those 
who  were  present  were — the  Rev.  William  M.  Tennent, 
the  Rev.  Ashbel  Green,  D.  D.,  the  Rev.  Archibald 
Alexander,  D.  D.,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Janeway,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Potts  and  the  Rev.  JNIr.  Latta.  Before  them  was 
laid  the  petition  of  the  Frankford  church,  composed  of 
over  thirty  families.  The  petition  asked  that  the  con- 
gregation be  taken  under  the  care  of  Presbytery,  and 
pledged  that  they  should  be  governed  by  the  rules  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  Presbytery  being  assured 
that  these  families  were  nearly  all  that  composed  the  con- 


284  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

gregation,  and  that  they  were  then  in  no  other  ecclesias- 
tical connection,  agreed  to  take  them  under  its  care, 
and  made  arrangements  for  furnishing  them  with 
supplies. 

It  was  well,  as  subsequent  events  proved,  that  this 
action  of  the  church  in  transferring  their  connection 
from  the  German  Reformed  to  the  Presbyterian  body 
was  unanimous,  and  that  it  was  afterward  established 
by  the  legislature.  Otherwise  there  might  have  been 
serious  legal  trouble  in  the  future  in  consequence  of 
the  law  forbidding  the  transfer  of  property  from  one 
denomination  to  another  if  there  be  even  one  vote 
in  opposition  to  it.  In  fact,  so  late  as  the  time  of 
the  present  pastor,  legal  investigations  were  made  by 
Germans  (not  the  German  Reformed  Church),  and 
action  in  the  courts  was  not  instituted  simply  because 
the  original  action  of  the  church  was  in  strict  con- 
formity with  the  law. 

From  that  time  forward  for  a  period  of  eighty-one 
years  the  course  of  the  church's  history  has  been  one 
of  steady  progress,  and,  except  one  brief  period  of 
strife,  unmarked  by  any  important  organic  charges. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

As  already  stated,  the  original  house  of  worship  was 
erected  in  1770.  It  was  a  type  of  the  original  Ger- 
man Reformed  churches  of  the  country,  and  such  as 
may  be  seen  in  Switzerland  at  the  present  time.  As  a 
curiosity  and  a  specimen  of  these  old  German  churches 
we  give  a  somewhat  full  description  of  it.  The 
church-edifice  as  it  was  first  built  was  only  forty  feet 
wide  and  thirty  feet  long.  The  separate  cost  of  each 
of  the  various  articles  of  its  construction  is  pre- 
served : 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  285 

£      s.  d. 

Stone,  lime,  sand,  hair  and  hauling           .        .  133     2  10 

Boards,  planks,  shingles  and  other  lumber        .  109    6    8 

Paint,  oil,  glass,  and  painting    .        .        .        .  27  16    3 

Mason-work  and  plastering         .        .        .        .  64  16    0 

Jarpenter-  and  cabinet-work       ,         .        .        .  97  16    9 

Blacksmith-work  and  other  incidentals      .        .  28  17    5 

Whole  cost  of  building  when  finished    .        .  461  15  11 
About  two  thousand  four  hundred  dollars  ($2400). 

In  1810  this  old  building,  after  standing  for  forty 
years,  was  enlarged  by  an  addition  of  forty  feet, 
which  more  than  doubled  its  size,  but  the  structure 
was  precisely  the  same  in  form.  Then,  after  fifty 
years,  the  enlarged  building,  having  become  too  small 
from  the  increase  of  the  congregation,  was  taken 
down  and  the  present  commodious  sanctuary  erected  in 
1860.  The  comfortable  manse  in  which  the  pastor's 
family  has  its  home  was  built  in  the  year  1844. 

THE   PASTORS. 

The  first  pastors  of  the  church  were  all  German. 
Most  of  them  were  missionaries  sent  out  by  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Classis  of  Amsterdam.  In  this  way,  as  be- 
fore remarked,  this  Classis  came  to  the  aid  of  its  Ger- 
man brethren  in  their  suffering  from  persecution  by 
which  they  had  been  made  exiles  and  poor,  as  in  for- 
mer days  the  Germans  had  ministered  to  iheh'  wants 
when  they  were  passing  through  a  similar  fiery  fur- 
nace. They  were  pastors  of  the  Market  Square  church 
of  Germantown,  and  in  connection  with  it,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  ministered  here  also.  We  present  the 
following  list,  first  of  those  German  pastors  and  then 
of  the  English-speaking  pastors,  who  preached  in  this 
church:  Christian  Frederick  Foehring,  1770,  two  years ; 
J.  C.  Albertus  Helffenstein,  1772,  three  years ;  Samuel 


286  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Dubbendorf,  1775,  four  years;  Mr.  Helffenstein  (again), 
1779,  ten  years;  Philip  K.  Pauli,  1787,  two  years; 
Librecht  Frederich  Herman,  1789,  twelve  years ;  John 
William  Runkle,  1802,  five  years.  The  Presbyterian 
and  English-speaking  pastors  were — John  Whitefield 
Doak,  1809,  seven  years ;  Thomas  Biggs,  D.  D.,  1818, 
thirteen  years ;  J.  T.  Marshall  Davie,  1832,  two  years ; 
Austin  Morss,  1835,  two  years ;  William  D.  Howard, 
D.  D.,  1838,  eleven  years ;  Thomas  Murphy,  D.  D., 
1849,  forty  years  and  still  continuing. 

Of  all  the  German  pastors  save  one  we  have  already 
given  a  few  facts  in  connection  with  the  church  of  Ger- 
mantown. 

Mr.  Pauli  is  the  one  exception.  In  an  act  of  incor- 
poration he  was  mentioned  as  minister  of  this  church. 
As  their  years  overlap  each  other,  it  is  probable  that 
he  ministered  here  as  assistant  while  Mr.  Helffenstein 
labored  in  German  town.  The  aid  was  probably  neces- 
sary because  of  the  latter's  declining  health.  Mr.  Pauli 
was  a  native  of  Prussia.  For  six  years  after  1783  he 
had  charge  of  the  Academy  of  Philadelphia;  at  the 
same  time  he  preached  at  Frankford.  He  was  a  learned 
man,  a  celebrated  linguist  and  an  active  and  faithful 
minister.  After  his  death  his  loss  was  very  greatly 
lamented  by  this  people. 

In  the  interval  between  1807  and  1809,  when  Mr. 
Doak  became  pastor,  the  pulpit  was  filled  from  time 
to  time  by  neighboring  pastors,  among  them  Dr. 
Archibald  Alexander,  Dr.  Jacob  J.  Janeway,  Revs. 
George  C.  Potts,  William  Latta,  Nathaniel  Snowden, 
Dr.  William  M.  Tennent  who  preached  twenty-one 
Sabbaths,  and  many  others. 

While  the  pulpit  was  again  vacant  for  two  years 
from  1816  it  was  supplied  by  Drs.  Rogers,  Janeway 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  287 

and  Neill,  ami  by  Revs.  Messrs.  Janvier,  Duiilap  and 
others. 

Mr.  Doak  was  installed  June  18, 1809.  He  was  the 
son  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Doak  of  Tennessee.  He  had 
held  two  other  charges  before  coming  here.  After 
leaving  this  church  because  of  declining  health,  he 
became  an  eminent  practitioner  of  medicine  in  his 
native  State,  preaching  also  as  he  was  able.  Here  he 
labored  diligently,  leaving  an  impress  never  to  be 
effaced. 

Dr.  Biggs  was  installed  Nov.  10,  1818.  He  was  an 
eminent  and  useful  man.  He  made  the  deepest  im- 
pression that  had  ever  been  made  on  this  community. 
He  must  have  been  a  fine  Scriptural  scholar  and  an 
excellent  preacher.  While  in  Frankford  the  Rev. 
Charles  Hodge,  D.  D.,  was  his  most  intimate  friend 
and  a  frequent  guest  at  his  house.  Indeed,  Dr. 
Hodge,  the  Rev.  Daniel  Baker,  the  Rev.  S.  C.  Henry 
and  Bishop  John  Johns  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  had 
all  been  classmates  of  Dr.  Biggs  in  Princeton  College ; 
they  were  converted  in  the  same  revival  with  him  and 
remained  his  warm  personal  friends  through  life. 

After  continuing  pastor  of  this  church  for  thirteen 
years  Dr.  Biggs  accepted  a  professorship  in  Lane 
Theological  Seminary  at  Cincinnati.  That  office  he 
held  for  seven  years,  and  then  became  president  of  a 
Cincinnati  college  in  1839.  In  that  position  he  contin- 
ued for  six  years,  and  for  three  years  more  was  president 
of  Woodward  College  in  Cincinnati.  In  1852  he  was 
installed  pastor  of  the  Fifth  church  of  the  same  city, 
and  after  four  years  resigned.  At  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven,  in  1864,  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 

The  best  tribute  to  his  memory  we  have  seen  is  that 
of  Bishop  Mcllvaine  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Ohio. 


288  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

It  closes  with  these  words :  "  A  beautiful  trait  in  his 
character  was  the  largeness  of  his  Christian  regards. 
He  was  beautiful  too  in  his  faith  and  the  joyfulness  of 
his  hope.  He  never  seemed  to  see  God  in  the  pillar 
of  cloud,  but  always  in  the  pillar  of  light.  Christ  was 
so  near  to  him  that  he  felt  no  doubts.  Great  loving- 
ness  of  mind  and  heart  characterized  him  beyond  what 
is  usual.  It  beamed  from  his  countenance,  it  spoke 
from  his  voice  and  was  expressed  in  his  whole  manner. 
He  must  have  been  useful  as  he  was." 

Mr.  Davie  was  installed  August  28,  1832.  After 
serving  the  church  for  two  years  he  removed  to  Lan- 
caster, where  he  became  the  pastor  and  intimate  friend 
of  James  Buchanan,  afterward  President  of  the  United 
States.  He  died  in  1862  at  Flatlands,  Long  Island. 
One  friend  of  his  family  declared  of  him  that  he  had 
never  seen  his  temper  even  ruffled ;  another,  that  he 
was  uniformly  so  happy  and  forbearing  as  never  to  be 
excited  into  an  unkind  remark  about  any  one. 

Mr.  Morss  was  installed  April  30,  1835.  He  re- 
mained but  two  years. 

Dr.  Howard  was  ordained  and  installed  March  13, 
1838.  His  pastorate  was  one  of  eminent  prosperity  and 
progress  in  the  church.  The  congregation  had  been  torn 
and  distracted  by  previous  strife ;  under  his  wise  and 
conciliatory  course  all  was  soon  healed.  It  had  been 
much  weakened,  but  by  his  able  ministry  prosperity  and 
strength  gradually  increased.  Through  his  admirable 
direction  the  Sabbath-school  became  one  of  the  very 
best  in  the  city.  During  his  pastorate  the  church- 
edifice  was  renovated  and  the  manse  built.  Because  of 
his  really  eloquent  preaching,  his  faithful  pastoral  work 
and  his  warm,  friendly  nature  he  was  greatly  beloved 
by  his  own  people  as  well  as  by  the  whole  community. 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  289 

When  he  felt  called  to  accept  a  position  of  wider 
influence  and  usefulness  he  left  behind  him  a  mourn- 
ing people.  Difficult  indeed  was  the  undertaking  of 
him  who  followed  Dr.  Howard  in  the  ])ost  he  had  fdled 
so  long  and  so  well.  After  leaving  Frankford  he  took 
charge  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church  in  Pittsburgh, 
and  remained  there  for  many  years,  until  he  died. 

Dr.  Murphy  was  installed  October  11,  1841).  This 
pastorate  has  now  continued  for  nearly  forty  years. 

Between  the  years  1833  and  183o  the  Rev.  David  X. 
Junkin,  D.  D.,  was  stated  supply  for  a  few  mouths,  as 
was  also  the  Rev.  James  Watson,  D.  D. 

THE    RULING    ELDERS. 

The  list  of  all  the  elders  of  whom  we  can  learn  as 
having  ever  held  the  ofiice  in  this  church  is  as  follows : 
Jacob  Gransback;  Rudolph  Neff,  1780;  Conrad  Axe, 
1798  ;  George  Castor,  1801  ;  Philip  Buckius,  1808 ; 
Caleb  Earl,  1808;  Robert  Smith,  1810;  Samuel  W. 
Doak,  1810;  Jacob  Myers,  1810;  Edward  Gilfdlen,  M. 
D.,  1812 ;  William  Nassau,  1812 ;  Capt.  Jacob  Peter- 
son, 1812;  Roderick  Adams,  1820 ;  William  Gibson, 
1829 ;  Christopher  Coon,  1829 ;  Thomas  D.  Mitchell, 
M.  D.,  1829;  Alfred  Jenks,  1830;  George  T.  McCal- 
njont,  1830 ;  Charles  Dewees,  1836 ;  John  D.  Harper, 
1836;  John  Deal,  1836;  Robert  Pattison,  1839;  Rob- 
ert W.  Solly,  1853;  William  Irwin,  1853;  Philip 
Cressman,  1853  ;  Benjamin  Rogers,  1864  ;  William  J. 
Warner,  1864 ;  Robert  Cornelius,  1866 ;  William  E. 
Ham  ill,  1870.  The  present  Session  consists  of — Benja- 
min Rogers,  Robert  Cornelius,  William  J.  Warner, 
Joseph  McConnell,  William  B.  Dixon,  William  Scott, 
J.  M.  Somerndike,  Joseph  L.  Kinkerter,  David  Nimlet, 
M.  Davis  Youker,  J.  Keith  Yerkes — the  last  eight,  1872. 

19 


290  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Of  this  number,  among  the  deceased,  there  are  two 
or  three  who  so  greatly  influenced  the  church's  history 
that  they  must  be  had  in  special  remembrance. 

George  Castor  is  the  first.  A  descendant  of  one  of 
the  four  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  church  in  the 
beginning,  he  was  born  five  years  after  his  grandfather 
took  the  leading  part  in  that  good  work.  Himself 
among  the  first  of  its  elders,  when  the  church  was  to  be 
established  in  a  new  connection,  when  its  first  house  of 
worship  was  to  be  enlarged,  when  great  trouble  was 
found  in  supplying  its  pulpit,  when  great  sacrifices  had 
to  be  made  to  bear  its  expenses  and  maintain  its  ordi- 
nances, George  Castor  was  always  the  man  to  bear  the 
heaviest  of  the  burden.  He  was  known  even  to  mort- 
gage his  own  property  that  the  interests  of  the  church 
might  be  j^romoted.  An  interesting  incident  concern- 
ing this  venerable  man  is  that  he  was  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  the  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander,  D.  D,,  in 
securing  the  transfer  of  the  church  to  the  Presbyterian 
connection.  In  fact,  Mr.  Castor's  name  is  on  almost 
every  page  of  the  church's  history  for  half  a  century. 

Mr.  Adams  was  for  a  short  time  sole  elder  of  the 
church.  Prudent,  amiable,  retiring,  he  could  be  known 
only  to  be  loved. 

Mr.  Gibson  was  active  in  every  department  of  Chris- 
tian usefulness.  As  one  of  the  founders  of  the  church's 
Sabbath-school,  a  leader  of  its  music,  an  active  elder, 
a  man  of  prayer,  the  possessor  of  a  warm  Christian 
heart,  his  name  will  long  live  in  the  Zion  he  loved  so 
well. 

Mr.  Harper  was  a  most  amiable  man.  As  elder  and 
trustee  of  the  church,  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath- 
school  and  staunch  friend  of  the  pastor,  of  a  family 
for  a  long  time  prominent  in  the  community,  he  can 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  291 

never  be  forgotten.  He  was  eminently  a  man  of  prayer. 
His  greatest  study  was  to  promote  harmony  and  broth- 
erly affection  among  all  the  members. 

Mr.  Deal  was  elder  in  the  church  for  over  forty  years. 
He  was  also  a  trustee,  clerk  of  the  Session  for  a  long 
time,  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath-school  for  years, 
and  active  in  every  good  word  and  work.  His  church 
was  his  life.  There  was  no  other  object  on  earth, 'out- 
side of  his  family,  so  dear  to  him.  He  attended  all  its 
services  as  regularly  as  he  took  his  meals.  As  a  matter 
of  course  he  was  to  be  found  prominent  in  every  effort 
to  promote  its  welfare.  For  many  years  there  was  no 
face  more  familiar  in  all  the  meetings  of  Presbytery 
than  was  that  of  John  Deal. 

Dr.  Mitchell  exerted  a  very  wide  and  blessed  in- 
fluence in  the  church.  His  piety,  his  zeal  and  his  love 
for  Zion  were  unflinching  and,  without  a  doubt,  many 
will  rise  up  at  the  last  day  to  call  him  blessed. 

MISCELLANEOUS   MATTERS. 

The  Sabbath-school  of  this  church  is  one  of  the  oldest 
in  the  land,  havins;  been  commenced  seventv-four  vears 
ago,  in  1815.  It  was  begun  beside  the  stove  of  the 
church  with  seven  little  girls.  There  was  at  first  great 
opposition  to  it  because  it  was  free,  parents  alleging  they 
could  afford  to  pay  for  their  children's  schooling. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  church  after  it  became 
Presbyterian  was,  in  1810,  to  purchase  an  old  academy 
in  Frankford  for  two  thousand  dollars  and  set  up  a  school. 
Frankford  and  vicinity  were  indebted  to  it  as  their  only 
school  for  many  years.  When  we  consider  that  at  that 
time  there  were  no  public  schools  we  may  understand 
what  a  benefit  this  must  have  been  to  the  community. 

During  the  Revolutionary  War,  after  the  battle  of 


292  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Trenton,  some  of  the  prisoners  captured  in  that  engage- 
ment were  brought  here,  and  for  a  time  confined  in  the 
old  church.  Of  this  fact  there  is  no  question,  as  a  minis- 
terial friend  of  the  writer  found  an  account  of  it  in  the 
archives  of  Hesse  Cassel,  Germany,  in  a  journal  kept 
by  a  Hessian  officer. 

Even  the  Lutheran  church  of  Frankford  is  an  off- 
shoot from  this  old  Presbyterian  church,  having  been 
originally  founded  by  a  number  of  the  older  Germans 
who  seceded  from  our  organization  because  the  younger 
members  persisted  in  conducting  at  least  occasional  serv- 
ices in  the  English  language. 

The  Frankford  Baptist  church  had  the  same  origin. 
About  1806  the  authorities  of  the  church  frequently 
secured  for  their  pulpit  a  Baptist  minister  named  Alli- 
son, who  taught  in  the  academy.  He  preached  for  them 
with  great  acceptance.  In  the  same  academy  there  was 
another  Baptist  minister  named  Montoney,  who  also 
frequently  filled  the  pulpit.  A  number  of  the  con- 
gregation in  time  became  so  attached  to  these  ministers 
that  they  united  with  them,  and  in  1807  formed  the 
Baptist  church  of  Frankford,  which  has  prospered  and 
done  good  service  ever  since. 

■  In  the  last  fifty  years  this  church  has  sent  out  no  less 
than  five  offshoots  which  now  belong  to  our  sisterhood 
of  churches — namely,  Bridesburg,  Holmesburg,  Ann 
Carmichael,  Tacony  and  Wissinoming.  On  the  terri- 
tory which  it  then  occupied  alone  there  are  now  no  less 
than  eight  Presbyterian  congregations — namely,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  five  already  named,  Hermon,  Lawndale 
and  the  mother-church — yet  that  mother-church  now 
numbers  five  times  as  many  members  as  it  did  at  the 
beginning  of  the  period  indicated. 

The  present  pastorate  of  nearly  forty  years  is  the  long- 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  293 

est  in  the  history  of  the  congregation.  It  has  extended 
over  one-third  of  the  church's  whole  life,  and  is  longer 
than  the  aggregate  of  the  years  of  any  four  pastorates 
that  went  before  it.  It  has  been  a  period  uneventful, 
but  of  steady  progress. 

THE   GENERATION    OF    ESTABLISHMENT. 

It  is  a  fiict  worthy  of  special  notice  that  after  the  Old 
and  New  Light  schism,  with  all  its  events  and  results, 
there  was  a  period  of  thirty  years,  or  a  generation,  until 
the  formation  of  the  General  Assembly,  in  which  there 
■were  no  churches  organized  in  the  Presbytery  save  that 
of  Fraukford,  in  1770.  Such  a  rapid  increase  in  the 
earlier  times,  and  now  an  almost  absolute  pause !  Has 
the  Church  lost  her  first  love  and  her  first  zeal  ?  Has 
the  Lord  withdrawn  the  power  of  his  Holy  Spirit  from 
her  because  of  unfaithfulness,  and  that  at  the  very  time 
when  she  seemed  matured,  and  equipped,  and  ready 
for  valiant  service  ?  What  means  this  ?  A  whole  gen- 
eration of  these  new  and  vigorous  churches,  and  yet 
only  one  new  congregation  started !  Surely  this  must 
be  not  only  noticeable,  but  highly  significant.  What 
means  it? 

There  were  at  least  two  natural  causes :  The  one  was, 
that  in  all  portions  of  the  Presbytery  available  for  the 
planting  of  churches  in  those  days  when  the  population 
was  so  sparse,  congregations  had  been  already  gathoi-ed. 
In  the  great  revival  times  the  increase  of  churches  had 
been  rapid,  so  that  the  field  in  which  to  plant  them  had 
been  covered.  Localities  in  which  churches  could  be 
sustained  were  not  very  many,  and  they  were  taken  up 
already.  The  other  cause  was  that  the  period  from 
1758  to  1788  was  so  filled  with  rumors  of  war  and  the 
terrible    Revolutionary  struggle   and    the   momentous 


294  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

public  events  which  followed  that  the  minds  of  men 
were  drawn  away,  and  their  resources  so  exhausted 
on  other  things  that  the  building  of  churches  was 
neglected.  In  the  controversies  and  alarms  which 
preceded  the  war,  in  the  troubles  of  families,  and 
confused  noise  and  garments  rolled  in  blood,  and 
slaughters  of  many  battle-fields,  and  in  the  intense 
excitement  that  followed  the  cessation  of  hostilities, 
the  public  mind  was  wholly  taken  up.  It  thus  came 
to  pass  that  the  interests  of  the  Church  were  at  a 
partial  standstill. 

These  were  the  natural  causes,  but  there  was  a  far 
more  potent  providential  cause.  It  was  ordered  in 
divine  wisdom  that  there  should  be  this  period  of  a 
whole  generation  for  confirming  the  results  of  the 
previous  steps  which  had  been  taken  in  the  work  of 
providing  a  Presbyterian  Church  for  this  country.  All 
else  having  been  done,  a  time  was  needed  in  which  all 
that  had  been  accomplished  should  be  settled,  defined 
and  fully  established.  The  principles  of  doctrine  and 
order  were  to  take  root ;  the  habits  and  character  and 
modes  of  thought  and  forms  of  an  American  Presby- 
terian Church  were  to  be  matured;  influencing  traditions 
were  to  be  formed ;  the  great  power  of  early  associations 
was  to  be  created,  A  whole  generation  was  required 
for  this ;  and  no  more  than  a  generation,  for  only  those 
who  were  children  at  the  time  of  the  great  consumma- 
tion of  1758  could  possess  such  peculiar  attachment  to 
the  Church  as  is  hallowed  by  the  memory  of  the  past. 
This  confirmation  was  the  last  step  in  the  series  of  prep- 
arations previous  to  the  organization  of  the  General 
Assembly.  A  generation  of  people  would  be  prepared, 
when  the  crowning-time  should  come,  who  would  know 
no  other  form  of  Presbyterianism  than  the  one  they 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  295 

possessed,  and  to  whom  it  would  be  most  dear  from  the 
strangely  influential  feeling  that  it  was  the  form  of  the 
Church  of  their  fathers. 

We  would  now  reeaj)itulate  and  make  distinct  the 
various  steps  by  which  God  had  provided  a  Pix-ybyteriau 
Church  for  America.  We  cannot  be  miistaken  in  our 
assured  belief  that  all  these  were  the  majestic  steps  of 
his  providence  and  grace.  The  events  have  rendered 
this  opinion  most  certain.     They  were : 

1st.  The  gathering  together  here  of  the  people  out  of 
the  various  European  lands,  where  the  persecutions 
they  had  endured  had  prepared  them  to  prize  and  im- 
prove the  untrammeled  enjoyment  of  their  gospel 
privileges. 

2d.  The  providing  for  this  gathered  people  a  sound 
Calvinistic  creed,  which  had  been  matured  by  many 
struggles  in  the  years  gone  by. 

3d.  The  providing  of  means  for  furnishing  a  prop- 
erly-qualified ministry  through  the  marvelous  move- 
ments which  concentrated  in  the  Log  Colleije. 

4th.  The  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  caused 
the  infant  Church  to  become  animated  by  the  most 
fervent  piety — a  piety  akin  to  that  of  Wesley  and 
Lady  Huntingdon  and  Jonathan  Edwards. 

5th.  The  issuino;  from  the  Log  College  of  a  band  of 
apostolic  men  endowed  with  extraordinary  power  and 
piety  and  zeal,  who  swept  over  the  land  as  angels  with 
the  everlasting  gospel  spreading  abroad  the  system  and 
the  spirit  which  God  was  maturing. 

6th.  A  period  of  tempering,  an  annealing  process, 
passed  through  in  the  celebrated  Old  and  New  Light 
Schism  from  1741  to  1758,  by  which  the  diverse  ele- 
ments in  the  Church  were  brought  close  together, 
united,  homologated,  and  so  made  one. 


296  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

7tli.  The  appointment  of  a  period,  a  generation 
long,  for  confirming,  establishing  and  working  up 
principles  into  habits  and  establishing  hallowed  asso- 
ciations. 

8th.  And  finally,  the  organization  of  the  General 
Assembly,  the  forming  of  a  visible  Church  for  the 
whole  land,  with  its  creed,  ordinances  and  traditions 
all  matured,  and  ready  to  enter  side  by  side  with  the 
nation  upon  a  career  of  unimagined  sublimity. 

Such  was  the  logical  and  very  nearly  the  historical 
process  of  preparation  for  our  American  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  chronological  process  may  be  almost  as 
distinctly  traced.  At  first,  only  eighty-three  years  be- 
fore the  Assembly — a  very  short  period  in  the  entire 
annals  of  the  kingdom— there  was  but  one  small  Pres- 
bytery with  seven  infant  churches  and  a  few  more  in 
embryo.  Twelve  years  afterward,  in  1717,  there  was 
strength  enough  in  the  body  to  form  a  Synod,  with  its 
several  Presbyteries,  each  having  its  own  sisterhood  of 
churches.  Seventeen  years  after  that,  in  1734,  our  own 
Presbytery  alone  had  its  seven  churches  and  was  still 
increasing.  Twenty-four  years  later,  in  1758,  there 
were  eight  churches,  and  the  whole  body  was  united, 
harmonious,  zealous,  one  in  doctrine  and  in  ordinances. 
Twenty-eight  years  later  still,  in  1786,  we  had  nine 
churches,  and  the  body  well  established  and  ordered 
and  firm  for  its  appointed  woi'k. 

And  now  there  remained  only  the  crowning  act,  the 
organizing  of  the  General  Assembly.  This  was  needed 
to  give  visibility,  and  so  actuality,  before  the  world  to 
the  one  body  for  which  all  the  previous  preparations 
had  been  made ;  to  unite  the  scattered  branches  into 
one  responsible  organization  that  could  be  addi-essed ; 
to  gather  up  the  innumerable  elements  of  influence  and 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  297 

form  them  into  one  vast  available  force ;  to  keep  the 
whole  sisterhood  of  Presbyteries  and  churches  in  har- 
mony of  counsel  and  action  ;  to  concentrate  the  wisdom 
and  piety  and  power  of  all  the  parts  into  one  grand 
agency  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  kingdom  ;  to  give 
opportunity  for  mutual  aid  and  encouragement  to  all 
the  members  associated  in  it ;  to  present  the  whole  en- 
ergy of  the  united  churches  against  the  machinations 
of  the  principalities  and  powers  of  the  apostate  world  ; 
to  organize  and  economize  the  forces  in  the  great  work 
which  the  Master  has  given  his  Church  to  do ;  to  coun- 
teract and  put  to  shame  the  lying  reproaches  of  the 
malignant  enemy,  and  to  make  our  great  organization 
felt  as  one  of  the  chief  sanctifying  elements  of  our 
New  World.  For  all  these  and  other  reasons  such  a 
general  organization  was  needed,  and  the  preparations 
were  completed  for  uniting  all  our  churches  under  the 
one  national  General  Assembly. 

TIME   FOE   THE    GENERAL    ASSEMBLY    COME, 

Before  describing  the  organization  of  the  General 
Assembly,  the  most  important  event  in  our  history, 
it  is  proj)er  that  we  should  glance  at  the  state  of  the 
world,  the  country  and  the  Church  at  the  epoch  when 
it  was  effected.  At  that  time  no  railroad  had  been 
constructed,  no  steamboat  had  floated,  no  magnetic  tel- 
egraph had  been  imagined,  no  American  vessel  of  any 
kind  had  sailed  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia.  The 
American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  had  not  been 
formed,  and  Sabbath-schools  were  just  beginning  to 
be  heard  of  In  France,  the  Revolution  began  by 
the  taking  of  the  Bastile  the  very  year  of  our  organi- 
zation, the  Republic  was  set  up  a  ye^ir  later,  and  the 
Reign  of  Terror  commenced  its  bloody  work  four  years 


298  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

afterward.  In  Great  Britain,  George  III.  was  on  the 
throne,  the  celebrated  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  was  buried 
the  same  year  and  the  trial  of  Warren  Hastings  was  agi- 
tating the  whole  country.  The  celebrated  writers  Han- 
nah More,  Warburton,  Burke,  Burns  and  many  others 
were  iu  the  midst  of  their  fame  or  had  lately  passed 
away.  In  this  country,  five  years  before,  national  in- 
dependence had  been  acknowledged  by  England,  the 
Federal  Constitution  was  completed  the  same  year,  and 
the  vear  after  Georo;e  Wasliino-ton  was  inaugurated  as 
the  first  President.  Hamilton,  Jefferson,  Randolph, 
Jay  and  Knox  were  among  the  great  men  at  the  head 
of  public  affairs.  The  state  of  society  at  that  time  is 
portrayed  so  well  and  so  much  to  our  purpose  by  Dr. 
John  Lord  that  we  shall  introduce  his  picture  at  some 
length :  "  At  that  time  manufactures  were  in  their 
infancy ;  travel  was  limited ;  it  was  a  great  event  for 
a  man  to  visit  Europe ;  the  people  were  obliged  to 
practice  the  most  rigid  economy ;  everybody  went  to 
church ;  religious  skepticism  sent  those  who  avowed  it 
to  Coventry ;  ministers  were  the  leading  power ;  the 
press  was  feeble,  and  elections  were  not  controlled  by 
foreign  immigrants ;  when  men  drank  rum  instead 
of  whisky,  and  lager  beer  had  never  been  heard  of, 
nor  the  great  inventions  and  scientific  wonders  which 
make  our  age  an  era  had  anywhere  appeared.  The 
age  of  progress  had  then  scarcely  set  in,  and  every- 
body was  obliged  to  work  in  some  way  to  get  an  honest 
living ;  for  the  Revolutionary  War  had  left  the  coun- 
try poor  and  bad  shut  up  many  channels  of  industry. 
The  farmers  at  that  time  were  the  most  numerous  and 
powerful  class,  sharp,  but  honest  and  industrious,  who 
honored  learning  and  enjoyed  discussions  on  meta- 
physical divinity.     Their  sons  did  not  then  leave  the 


1 


FORMATIVE  PERIOD.  299 

paternal  acres  to  become  clerks  iii  distant  cities,  nor 
did  their  daughters  spend  their  time  in  reading  French 
novels  or  sneering  at  rustic  duties  and  labors." 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  great  national  events  of 
the  world  and  of  this  state  of  society  in  this  country 
that  our  General  Assembly  was  formed. 


CHAPTER  X.  , 

PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY. 

We  have  now  reached  the  point  where  we  are  to  | 

study  the  formation  of  the  General  Assembly — an  era  I 

the  most  momentous  in  our  history.  1 

The  official  action  which  issued  in  this  important 
event  extended  over  four  years,  and  the  records  of  it 
are  as  follows :  The  Synod  having  assembled  in  Phila- 
delphia 3Iay  17,  1786,  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  its 
session  passed  the  resolution  :  "  The  Synod,  consider- 
ing the  number  and  extent  of  the  churches  under  their 
care,  and  the  inconvenience  of  the  present  mode  of 
government  by  one  Synod,  Resolved,  That  this  Synod  _ 

will  establish,  out  of  its  own  body,  three  or  more  sub-  \ 

ordinate  Synods,  out  of  which  shall  be  composed  a 
General  Assembly,  Synod,  or  Council,  agreeably  to  a 
system  hereafter  to  be  adopted." — Records,  p.  517. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  1787,  on  May,  28, 
it  was  resolved,  "  That  the  division  of  the  Synod  be 
postponed  until  next  year,  and  that  the  Synod  be  then 
divided." — Records,  p.  541. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  which  began  May  21, 
1788,  on  the  twenty-ninth  day  of  the  session,  it  was 
"Resolved  unanimously.  That  this  Synod  be  divided, 
and  it  is  hereby  divided  into  four  Synods,  agreeably 
to  an  act  made  and  provided  for  that  purpose  in  the 
session  of  the  Synod  in  the  year  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  eighty-six,  and  that  this  division  shall 
commence  on  the  dissolution  of  the  present  Synod. 

300 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  301 

"Resolved,  That  the  first  meeting  of  the  General  As- 
sembly, to  be  constituted  out  of  the  above  said  four 
Synods,  be  held,  and  it  is  hereby  appointed  to  be  held 
on  the  third  Thursday  of  May,  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  eighty-nine,  in  the  Second  Presbyterian 
church  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  at  eleven  o'clock 
A.  M.,  and  that  Dr.  Witherspoon,  or  in  his  absence  Dr, 
E-odgers,  open  the  General  Assembly  with  a  sermon 
and  preside  till  a  Moderator  be  chosen." — Records,  pp. 
547,  548. 

Arrangements  were  then  made  for  the  meetings,  in 
the  autumn  following,  of  the  four  Synods  for  organi- 
zation.    The  Synod  was  then  dissoh'ed. 

At  the  time  and  place  appointed  the  General  As- 
sembly was  fully  organized  in  1789. — 3Iinuies  of  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  p.  5. 

This  is  the  point  from  which  we  can  most  advan- 
tageously study  one  of  the  vital,  all-pervading  elements 
of  our  whole  history.  We  have  asserted  that  the 
reigning  idea  of  the  whole  course  through  which  the 
infant  Church  had  been  led  was  that  God  was  prepar- 
ing a  Presbyterian  Church  for  America,  and  that  this 
Presbytery  was  the  cradle  of  the  movement.  This  was 
the  divine  purpose.  This  manifest  purpose  has  been  the 
writer's  guide  in  tracing  the  footsteps  of  the  great  Head 
of  the  Church  in  all  his  providential  dealings  with  our 
fathers.  It  is  in  accordance  with  this  purpose  that 
every  event  must  be  interpreted. 

In  the  great  comprehensive  fact  announced,  there  are 
three  essential  elements — (1)  that  God  was  maturing 
a  great  Presbyterian  Church ;  (2)  that  this  Pre.-;bytery 
was  the  cradle  of  the  movement ;  (3)  that  the  Church 
to  be  matured  was  for  America.  The  first  and  second 
of  these  points  have  formed  the  substance  of  all  our 


302  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

preceding   studies ;    we   shall   now  direct  attention  to 
the  third — 

A   PEESBYTERIAN    CHURCH    FOK   AMERICA. 

What  are  the  evidences  that  in  the  providential 
operations  we  have  been  considering  a  Church  for  this 
country  was  the  reigning  purpose?  Those  operations 
may  be  seen  throughout  the  previous  history,  but  how 
was  the  purpose  specially  indicated  when  the  formation 
of  the  Church  was  consummated?  The  substance  of 
the  argument  is  that  the  organization  of  tlie  General 
Assembly  and  the  formation  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
country  were  accomplished  side  by  side,  and  under  cir- 
cumstances which  made  it  evident  that  they  had  one  and 
the  same  providential  Designer.  To  make  the  matter 
more  distinct,  we  shall  place  the  various  items  of  evi- 
dence under  the  following  significant  aspects — namely, 
the  civil  government  and  the  Church  were  organized 
under  (1)  a  similar  process  of  preparation,  (2)  at  the 
same  time,  (3)  in  the  same  place,  (4)  by  the  same 
kind  of  men,  (5)  by  men  having  the  same  principles, 
and  (6)  by  men  having  the  same  prospects. 

1.  As  to  the  first  point,  that  each  had  a  similar  pro- 
cess of  preparation,  the  facts  are  certainly  remarkable. 
The  elements  of  the  preparation  of  the  civil  govern- 
ment were  the  collecting  into  this  land  of  a  population 
drawn  from  the  very  best  of  all  the  nations  of  Europe; 
the  forming  of  provinces  or  States  that  should  after- 
ward be  confederated  into  one  nation ;  the  protracted 
period  of  training  by  which  the  peoj)le  were  brought 
up  to  a  necessary  degree  of  self-reliance ;  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  by  which  the  country's  independence  was 
attained ;  the  providing  of  a  body  of  eminent  men  who, 
when  independence  was  established,  were  ready  for  the 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  303 

nation's  great  crisis;  and  lastly,  the  framing  and  adoption 
of  the  national  Constitution.  Running  parallel  with 
this  was  the  process  of  preparing  the  Church,  gathering 
together  the  people  from  the  nations  when  persecutions 
had  trained  them  to  an  intense  love  for  their  Church 
and  their  God;  so  ordering  it  that  these  gathered  people 
should  all  be  wedded  to  the  same  Calvinistic  creed  ; 
preparing  for  them  a  supply  of  well-trained  pastors ; 
baptizing  them  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  so  enduing 
them  with  an  earnest  piety ;  dispersing  their  faith 
throughout  the  land  by  the  agency  of  a  band  of  emi- 
nent and  godly  evangelists ;  subjecting  them  to  an 
annealing  process,  by  which  they  were  homologated 
and  made  one  in  heart ;  granting  them  a  generation  in 
time  during  which  they  might  become  established  in 
faith  and  order  and  church-life;  and  then  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  General  Assembly.  Who  can  help  the  con- 
viction that  God  had  a  purpose  in  these  surprisingly 
similar  processes? 

2.  The  two  events  of  establishing  the  new  govern- 
ments were  not  only  at  the  same  general  epoch,  but  also 
at  the  same  exact  time.  This  is  a  striking  fact  that  has 
not  attracted  deserved  attention.  We  must  look  into 
this  coincidence  somewhat  in  detail,  in  order  that  its 
great  significance  may  be  appreciated. 

As  to  the  nation,  the  facts  are  that  the  new  Consti- 
tution was  signed  by  the  convention  of  States  Septem- 
ber 17,  1787 :  this  Constitution  was  ratified  May  23, 
1788 ;  the  Government  was  organized  March  4,  1789 ; 
and  Washington  was  declared  the  first  President  April 
6th  and  inaugurated  April  30th  of  the  same  year.  As 
to  the  Church,  the  facts  were  that  the  first  action  of 
the  Synod  looking  toward  the  formation  of  a  General 
Assembly  was   taken   June   6,   1786;    the    vote   that 


304  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO   COLLEGE. 

such  General  Assembly  should  be  formed  was  carried 
May  28,  1787 ;  the  specific  action  establishing  the 
Assembly  was  taken  June  23,  1788 ;  and  the  organiza- 
tion was  formed  May  24,  1789. 

3.  Scarcely  less  remarkable  was  it  that  the  places 
where  both  events  were  consummated  were  on  almost 
the  same  spot.  The  city  in  which  they  both  occurred 
was  Philadelphia,  But  more  striking  still,  the  hall 
where  the  national  Constitution  was  adopted  was  only 
a  little  over  two  squares  from  the  Second  Presbyterian 
church  where  the  General  Assembly  was  meeting.  Had 
there  been  no  intervening  obstacles,  a  clear  voice  might 
easily  have  been  heard  fi'ora  one  building  to  the  other. 
It  would  not  have  been  difficult  for  a  rapid  walker  in 
a  few  moments  to  pass  from  the  church  to  the  State 
House.     Was.  there  no  meaning  in  this? 

4.  The  same  sort  of  men  were  the  framers  of  both 
Constitutions.  This  point  we  deem  to  be  of  the  very 
highest  importance ;  indeed,  we  consider  it  to  be  the 
most  significant  coincidence  of  all.  Such  an  able 
and  pure  body  of  patriots  as  the  fifty-four  men  who 
composed  the  national  Constitution  this  land  has 
never  at  any  other  time  seen  gathered  together.  When 
we  name  as  among  them  Washington,  Franklin,  Rufus 
King,  Roger  Sherman,  Oliver  Ellsworth,  Livingston, 
Dickinson,  Rutledge,  Pinckney  and  Madison,  this  will 
readily  be  granted. 

We  do  not  say  that  these  men  were  also  members  of 
the  first  General  Assembly.  Neither  do  we  say  that 
any  number  of  them  were  members  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  To  what  particular  denominations  indi- 
viduals of  them  belonged  it  would  now  be  probably 
impossible  in  most  cases  to  discover.  But  what  we  do 
aflfirm  is  that  the  spirit  of  the  Calvinistic  system  was 


PERIOD   OF  THE  GENERAL   ASSEMBLY.  305 

that  which  animated,  impelled  and  guided  most  of 
these  great  statesmen.  The  prevalence  of  that  system 
had  a  predominating  influence  in  the  framing  of  that 
wonderful  instrument.  In  fact,  it  is  known  that  some 
of  the  members  of  the  convention  who  were  most  influ- 
ential in  framing  it  had  been  brought  up  in  Presby- 
terian churches. 

On  one  occasion  the  Kev.  A.  A.  Hodge,  D.  D.,  of 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  made  the  statement 
to  the  writer,  and  presented  the  proofs  on  which  it  was 
founded,  that  for  above  one  hundred  and  thirty  of  the  first 
years  of  this  country  all  the  higher  institutio7is  of  learn- 
ing in  the  land  were  under  Calvinistic  management  and 
teaching.  But  that  was  the  period  in  which  these  great 
statesmen  had  received  their  mental  training  and  bias ; 
and  such  were  the  institutions  which  made  them  what  they 
were.  Hence  their  spirit,  the  bent  of  their  minds,  their 
opinions  and  views  and  their  interpretations  of  history, 
were  the  same  as  those  of  the  framers  of  the  Constitution 
of  the  Church.  We  believe  this  to  be  a  matter  worthy 
of  very  close  study,  as  the  undoubted  reason  why  the 
two  Constitutions  had  such  a  striking  similarity, 

5.  The  same  principles  actuated  the  framers  of  both 
instruments.  Just  as  far  as  comparison  can  be  instituted, 
as  far  as  there  was  any  similarity  of  object  or  as  the 
spiritual  government  of  which  the  Son  of  God  was  the 
Head  could  have  lineaments  like  one  that  was  the  re- 
sult of  human  wisdom  and  existed  for  human  ends,  the 
principles  of  the  two  are  precisely  alike.  The  following 
points  will  serve  as  specimens  :  (a)  It  was  a  principle  of 
both  bodies  that  there  should  be  a  total  disconnection 
between  the  governments  of  the  Church  and  the  State, 
the  one  claiming  no  aid,  and  the  other  no  obedience. 
{b)  Both  cut  loose  from  all  connections  with  the  Old 

20 


806  PBESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

World,  tlie  one  seeking  no  ordinations,  and  the  other 
acknowledging  no  allegiance,  (c)  Both  adopted  writ- 
ten and  ratified  Constitutions  as  the  guide  to  all  laws 
and  for  the  ultimate  decision  of  all  controversies. 
[d)  Another  principle  adopted  by  both  was  the  perfect 
equality  of  all  of  the  members  of  their  respective  con- 
stituencies— the  one  tolerating  no  prelates  of  any  degree 
and  the  other  no  potentates  or  privileged  classes,  [e) 
The  very  framing  of  both  constitutions  is  according  to 
the  same  plan — in  the  one  the  church  Session,  the  Pres- 
bytery, the  Synod  and  the  General  Assembly ;  in  the 
other  the  township,  the  county,  the  State  and  the  Gen- 
eral Government.  (/)  The  principle  of  representation, 
by  which  one  person  or  a  few  shall  stand  for  tlie  whole 
body,  runs  through  the  whole  framework  of  both  gov- 
ernments, {g)  The  courts  of  appeal  are  so  exactly 
alike  in  both  that  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  but  that  the 
younger  body,  the  country,  must  have  borrowed  from 
the  older,  the  Church. 

6.  The  same  prospects  were  contemplated.  The  Na- 
tional Government  was  adopted  for  a  new  people,  formed 
out  of  the  best  elements  of  the  old  lands ;  the  General 
Assembly  was  the  representative  of  a  new  Church  formed 
out  of  the  best  elements  of  the  Reformed  Churches  of 
other  lands — not  an  Irish  Presbyterian  Church  or  a 
German  or  a  Dutch  Reformed  or  a  Welsh,  but  an 
American  Presbyterian  Church.  One  was  for  a  na- 
tion having  an  unknown  but  most  momentous  des- 
tiny in  the  future ;  the  other  was  established  for  a 
most  sublime  mission  amid  the  final  movements  of 
Christ's  kingdom  upon  earth.  We  are,  of  course, 
well  aware  that  some  of  these  principles  are  adopted 
also  by  each  one  of  the  other  denominations  consti- 
tuting our  sister  churches,  but  we  assert  that  there  is 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL   ASSE^fBLY.  307 

not  another  in  wliicli  all  are  found  as  they  are  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Were  all  these  coincidences  mere  chances?  Did 
they  all  merely  happen  to  be  so?  Who  can  believe 
it  ?  AVho  can  imagine  that  the  mere  wisdom  of  men 
made  this  arrangement?  Is  it  not  manifest  that  the 
same  mind  was  at  work  in  the  formation  of  the  purpose 
that  shaped  them  all,  and  that  the  all- wise  Mind  ?  Was 
there  not  clearly  one  great  plan  in  both  lines  of  events  ? 
Was  not  that  plan  to  set  up  a  great  nation  that  would 
take  a  prominent  part  in  the  final  movements  of  the 
earth,  and  side  by  side  with  it  a  great  scriptural  Church 
to  influence  its  character  and  sanctify  its  destiny  ? 

In  tracing  the  remainder  of  the  history  of  this  Pres- 
bytery we  have  nothing  further  to  do  with  the  history 
of  the  Church  at  large.  Thus  far,  we  have  been  com- 
pelled to  trace  that  general  history,  inasmuch  as  our 
Presbytery  was  the  cradle  of  its  earliest  movements, 
and  the  fortunes  of  the  two  were  inseparably  bound  to- 
gether. We  now  confine  ourselves  to  our  own  special 
history. 

This  period,  which  we  name  the  Period  of  the  General 
Assembly,  began  with  1788,  when  the  decree  to  organize 
that  body  was  passed,  and  ended  with  our  receiving  the 
name  of  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  in  1832 
— a  period  of  forty-four  years. 

There  were  but  two  churches  organized  during  this 
time,  owing  to  the  two  facts — (1)  that  the  localities  for 
churches  had  previously  been  well  occupied ;  and  (2) 
that  "the  age  of  progress"  had  not  yet  commenced. 

Our  descriptions  of  the  churches  will  henceforward 
be  much  more  brief,  because  they  were  not  connected 
with  the  early  organic  movements  of  the  Presbytery, 


308  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

and  because  the  later  ones  have  not  as  yet  had  time  to 
make  much  history. 

THE  CHRONICLES  OF  THE  CHURCHES. 
GERMANTOWN    FIRST, 

This  church  has  now  had  a  history  of  nearly  four- 
score years,  as  it  commenced  in  1809.  It  sprung 
originally  from  the  German  Reformed — or  German 
Calvinistic  body,  as  they  chose  to  call  themselves — but 
it  is  appropriate  here  to  say  that  this  church  was,  at 
that  time,  as  thoroughly  Presbyterian  in  both  doctrine 
and  order  as  were  any  of  the  churches  of  the  Nesham- 
iny.  They  differed  in  scarcely  anything  except  the 
name  and  the  language  they  used.  Whenever  there 
arose  such  circumstances  as  to  make  it  desirable  they 
became  Presbyterian  as  a  matter  of  course.  This  ex- 
plains why  so  many  of  them  in  that  early  day  came 
into  our  connection. 

There  was,  however,  a  difficulty  in  the  way  of  most 
of  them  which  we  must  here  explain  in  order  that  we 
may  the  more  fully  understand  some  important  events 
of  the  time — events  in  which  at  least  four  of  our 
churches  were  very  deeply  interested.  It  arose  from 
the  use  of  the  German  language,  in  which  the  services 
of  all  these  were  conducted  for  many  years.  The  Eng- 
lish, however,  began  gradually  to  supplant  the  mother- 
tongue  in  all  the  churches.  In  process  of  time  the 
young  people  could  not  understand  the  German,  and 
services  in  German  were,  to  them,  wellnigh  useless.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  older  people  could  not  follow  the 
worship  in  English ;  and,  besides,  their  sacred  old  asso- 
ciations, all  connected  with  the  German,  received  a  rude 
shock  by  the  attempted  change.  From  this  source  there 
arose  many  controversies  of  the  most  earnest  character. 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  309 

How  could  the  young  understand  the  German  ?  How 
could  the  old  become  reconciled  to  the  use  of  the  Eng- 
lish? In  other  words,  How  could  the  old  mother-tongue, 
with  all  its  dear  and  sacred  associations,  be  laid  aside, 
and  that  of  the  country,  which  was  strange  to  many,  be- 
come the  only  one  used  in  their  worship  ?  There  were 
three  different  modes  in  which  the  difficulty  was  met 
in  the  churches.  In  the  jNIarket  Square  church  it  was 
left  to  time  to  wear  out  the  one  language  and  gradually 
introduce  the  other;  and  it  proved  a  process  of  many 
years.  In  Frankford  the  knot  was  cut  at  once,  and  by 
unanimous  vote  of  the  people  they  became  Presbyte- 
rian, leaving  at  once  their  old  Church  and  their  old 
lano;ua<i;e.  In  Germantown  First  the  friends  of  the  Eng- 
lish  went  out  from  the  German  mother-church  in  a  body, 
and  formed  a  new  organization.  This  was  the  origin  of 
the  church  whose  history  we  are  now  to  trace. 

From  1807  till  1809  there  seems  to  have  been  much 
agitation  on  this  subject  in  the  old  Market  Square 
church  and  its  branches.  In  the  first  of  these  years  the 
Frankford  church  made  the  important  change  of  its  re- 
lations; in  the  latter,  the  English  offshoot  separated  and 
commenced  the  enterprise  which  resulted  in  the  church 
we  are  now  considering. 

So  far  as  we  can  find,  there  was  no  formal  organiza- 
tion of  this  church,  but  the  English-speaking  band 
went  out,  commenced  separate  services,  and  were  soon 
spoken  of  and  treated  as  a  new  church.  All  we  know 
is  that  in  1809  they  were  statedly  worshiping  in  the 
private  house  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Blair,  D.  I).,  son  of 
the  Rev.  John  Blair  of  Log-College  fame,  and  bearing 
the  name  of  his  still  more  eminent  uncle,  Samuel  Blair. 
From  this  year,  therefore  {1809),  the  origin  of  the 
church  is  appropriately  dated.     Though  no  formal  or- 


310  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

ganization  is  recorded,  during  its  first  two  or  three  years 
tlie  enterprise  is  spoken  of,  and  that  even  by  the  Pres- 
bytery, as  a  church,  and  frequent  references  are  made 
to  its  elders. 

For  about  three  years  it  continued  to  hold  its  worship 
in  the  private  house  of  Dr.  Blair  until  a  house  of  wor- 
ship, commenced  in  1811,  was  finished  and  dedicated  to 
the  service  of  God  in  1812.  This  gave  the  enterprise  a 
more  definite  shape  and  name,  for  at  first  it  was  styled 
"a  Christian  Society  founded  on  the  principles  and 
rules  of  the  Presbyterian  Church ;"  subsequently  it  was 
known  as  "  the  English  Presbyterian  church  of  Ger- 
mantown."  In  this  posture  it  continued  for  twenty 
years,  when  in  1832  it  was  formally  organized,  a  char- 
ter obtained  from  the  legislature  and  the  present  name, 
"  The  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Germantown,"  was 
fixed.  From  that  time  forward  its  course  as  an  organi- 
zation has  been  unmarked  by  any  special  changes.  Its 
history  has  been  very  largely  identified  with  that  of  its 
pastors  and  elders. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  story  of  the  buildings  erected  by  this  congrega- 
tion for  the  worship  of  God  is  soon  told ;  for,  though  it 
has  been  in  existence  for  fourscore  years,  and  has  greatly 
increased  in  numbers,  the  present  house  is  but  the  sec- 
ond one  constructed  for  that  purpose.  For  two  years, 
from  1809  to  1811,  the  little  band  which  formed  its 
nucleus  worshiped  statedly  in  the  private  house  of  Rev. 
Dr.  Blair,  which  is  still  standing.  Then  a  church- 
building  became  necessary,  and  in  1811  preparations 
were  begun,  and  the  structure  was  completed  and  dedi- 
cated to  the  service  of  God  in  1812.  This  was  the 
building  which  is  now  used  by  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 


PERIOD   OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  311 

dan  Association.  Forty-two  years  after  its  erection,  in 
1854,  very  extensive  repairs  and  improvements  were 
made  in  this  first  house,  so  that  it  niiglit  contain  a 
much  hirger  congregation. 

This  coutinued  to  be  the  church's  home  for  sixty 
years  after  its  erection,  and  then,  in  1872,  the  present 
structure  was  built  in  a  different  locality  and  devoted  to 
the  worship  of  the  Triune  Jehovah.  It  is  a  splendid 
and  commodious  edifice,  with  all  the  a])artments  needed 
for  the  various  services  of  the  sanctuary.  Its  style  and 
magnitude  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  cost 
of  its  construction  was  over  seventy  thousand  dollars. 
It  has  now  stood  for  sixteen  years,  and,  large  as  are  its 
dimensions,  still  more  room  is  needed  by  the  congrega- 
tion. 

THE    PASTORS. 

During  the  course  of  its  nearly  fourscore  years  this 
church  has  had  nine  pastors  and  four  stated  supplies : 
Thomas  Dunn,  1809,  six  years ;  George  Bourne,  1816, 
two  years;  James  Hooker,  1819,  seven  years;  James 
Nourse  (stated  supply),  1830,  one  year;  George  Junkin, 
D.  D.  (stated  supply),  1830,  several  months;  "William 
Neill,  D.  D.  (stated  supply),  1831,  eleven  years;  Thomas 
Bradford  (stated  supply),  1842,  eight  years;  Septimus 
Tustin,  D.  D.,  1850,  two  years ;  Henry  J.  Van  Dyke, 
D.  D.,  1852,  one  year;  James  H.  Mason  Knox,  D.  D., 
LL.D.,  1853, sixteen  years;  J.  Frederick  Dripps,  D.  D., 
1870,  ten  years;  AVilliam  J.  Chichester,  D.  D.,  1880, 
five  years ;  Charles  Wood,  D.  D.,  1885,  present  ])astor. 

After  supplying  the  church  for  a  few  years,  Mr.  Dunu 
was  installed  as  pastor  on  the  second  Thursday  of  May, 
1813.  He  was  born  in  England  and  educated  in  the 
Baptist  church  at  Bristol,  of  which  the  celebrated  Rob- 
ert Hall  was  the  piustor.     After  coming  to  this  land  he 


312  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

adopted  the  Presbyterian  faith.  He  was  a  man  of  much 
power  and  earnest  piety.  The  impress  he  left  upon  this 
church  was  very  great,  even  though  ill-health  made 
his  ministry  so  short. 

Mr.  Bourne  was  also  of  English  birth.  He  was  a 
man  of  considerable  literary  attainments  and  of  fervent 
piety,  and  was  fearless  in  his  attacks  upon  error  and 
wrong . 

Mr.  Rooker  had  also  come  from  England,  where,  in 
connection  with  the  Independent  body,  he  had  filled 
positions  of  great  usefulness.  He  was  sixty-two  years 
of  age  when  he  came  to  this  church,  and  that  with  im- 
paired health,  and  yet  during  his  short  pastorate  of 
seven  years  the  membership  of  the  church  was  more 
than  doubled,  and  he  was  still  more  tenderly  remem- 
bered in  consequence  of  the  deep  impression  made  by 
his  beautiful  Christian  character. 

Dr.  Junkin's  is  a  name  well  known  and  greatly  hon- 
ored in  the  annals  of  our  Church.  He  supplied  the 
pulpit  of  this  congregation  only  about  six  months,  and 
yet  during  that  short  period  the  church  was  greatly 
strengthened  by  the  addition  of  a  large  number  to  its 
membership.  While  in  Germantowu  he  was  principal 
of  the  "  Manual  Labor  Academy,"  an  institution  which, 
on  its  removal  to  Easton,  developed  into  Lafayette  Col- 
lege. Dr.  Junkin  was  a  noble  specimen  of  the  Scotch- 
Irish  race.  In  addition  to  having  filled  an  important 
pastoral  charge  he  was  successively  president  of  Lafay- 
ette College,  of  Miami  University  and  of  Washington 
College  in  Virginia.  He  exercised  a  large  influence 
upon  the  Presbyterian  Church,  was  a  keen  and  logical 
debater,  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Old  School  branch 
after  the  division,  and  was  Moderator  of  the  General 
Assembly  in  1844. 


FIRST   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH   OF   GERMANTOWN.     Pag.  vo. 


f 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  313 

Dr.  Neill  was  another  eminent  minister  of  our  Pres- 
byterian Church  whose  name  and  good  works  were 
widely  known.  As  pastor  in  Cooperstown,  in  Albany, 
New  York,  and  in  several  churches  in  Pennsylvania, 
as  president  of  Dickinson  College  in  Carlisle,  and  as 
stated  clerk  of  the  General  Assembly,  he  was  greatly 
honored.  After  retiring  from  such  public  positions  he 
spent  the  evening  of  his  life  in  Philadelphia.  During 
his  last  years  he  still  continued  to  be  a  very  useful 
member  of  this  Presbytery.  He  was  always  present  at  its 
meetings,  and  his  counsels  to  its  younger  members  were 
eminently  wise.  In  aiding  at  installations  and  other 
special  services  in  the  churches,  in  helping  to  allay 
strifes  in  congregations  and  in  aiding  pastors  by  occa- 
sionally filling  their  pulpits,  few  men  were  more  busy 
or  more  useful  than  Dr.  Neill,  even  in  his  old  age.  The 
whole  ministerial  life  of  more  than  one  young  pastor 
was  influenced  by  the  kind  and  wise  counsel  of  this 
honored  man  of  God. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Bradford  one  hundred 
and  tweuty-five  members  were  added  to  the  church. 

Dr.  Tustin  performed  a  good  work  in  this  congre- 
gation. Its  tide  of  prosperity  rose  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  his  pastorate.  He  was  installed  July  11, 
1851.  Dr.  Tustin  was  a  most  amiable  and  devoted  ser- 
vant of  God.  In  his  sermons  there  was  a  sweetness  that 
could  not  but  draw  the  heart  of  every  hearer.  He  was 
widely  known  throughout  the  whole  Church  as  pastor 
of  several  important  congregations,  for  many  years 
chaplain  of  Congress,  and  especially  as  delegate  from 
the  Old  School  General  Assembly  to  that  of  the  New 
School  in  1863,  when  he  was  influential  in  inaugurat- 
ing the  reunion  movement. 

Dr.  Van  Dyke  was  installed  in  October,  1852.     His 


314  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

stay  was  very  brief,  as  in  about  a  year  there  came  to 
bim  from  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Brooklyn 
a  pressing  call,  which  to  the  sore  grief  of  his  people 
he  felt  constrained  to  accept.  He  has  ever  since  done 
noble  service  in  the  field  to  which  he  removed. 

Dr.  Knox  was  installed  Nov.  9,  1853.  His  pastor- 
ate was  the  longest  which  the  church  has  enjoyed, 
extending  over  sixteen  years.  It  was  also  a  period  of 
great  importance  in  the  church,  for  during  it  the  contri- 
butions of  the  congregation  to  objects  of  benevolence 
were  increased  in  a  marvelous  manner,  so  that  it  became 
one  of  the  most  liberal  of  our  churches.  Other  import- 
ant improvements  also  marked  the  period.  After 
leaving  German  town,  in  1869,  Dr.  Knox  spent  several 
years  in  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  church  of  Bristol, 
and  then,  in  1883,  was  elected  president  of  Lafayette 
College,  upon  the  duties  of  which  he  entered  the  next 
year,  and  which  he  has  discharged  ever  since. 

In  Dr.  Knox  we  have  another  illustration  of  God's 
abiding  fidelity  to  his  covenant.  A  line  of  godly  pater- 
nal ancestry  running  back  several  generations  into  the 
North  of  Ireland  and  a  similar  maternal  line  running 
back  into  Scotland  manifest  that  the  promises  and  bless- 
ings of  God  go  down  from  family  to  family  and  from 
age  to  age. 

Dr.  Dripps  was  installed  March  7,  1870.  His  pas- 
torate continued  ten  years,  during  which  time  two  im- 
portant improvements  marked  the  history  of  the 
church :  One  was  the  organization  of  the  congrega- 
tion into  various  bands  for  Christian  work,  which  have 
done  much  to  give  it  its  great  success ;  the  other  was 
the  erection  of  its  present  splendid  church-edifice. 

Dr.  Chichester  was  installed  on  May  1,  1880.  The 
increase  of  the  membership  of  the  church  during  the 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  315 

five  years  of  his  pastorate  was  very  great.  Indeed,  the 
whole  ministry  of  Dr.  Chichester  has  been  marked  by 
extraordinary  success  in  the  winning  of  souls  to  Christ. 
It  is  probably  much  below  the  truth  to  say  that  he  has 
been  instrumental  in  gathering  in  an  average  of  over  a 
hundred  every  year. 

Dr.  Wood  was  installed  on  April  20,  1885.  His 
pastorate,  which  has  now  continued  for  three  years,  is 
marked  by  every  indication  of  the  divine  favor ;  many 
souls  are  coming  into  the  kingdom,  the  great  liberality 
of  the  people  continues  and  the  house  of  God  is 
thronged  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath. 

THE    EULING    ELDERS. 

The  list  of  elders  which  we  are  able  to  give  in  con- 
nection with  this  church  is  more  complete  than  tlint 
of  any  other  of  the  old  congregations.  We  probably 
have  the  names  of  all  who  have  held  that  office  in 
it.  The  list  consists  of  nineteen  names,  as  follows  :  Jo- 
seph Miller,  1812 ;  Samuel  Blair,  D.  D.,  1812 ;  Henry 
Bruuer,  1812;  William  Trumbull,  1812  ;  Jacob  Whar- 
tonbury,  Jacob  Rittenhouse,  Matthias  Miller,  William 
D.  Howard,  1835;  Martin  Weaver,  1836;  Joseph  B. 
Mitchell,  1838;  T.  Charlton  Henry,  1858;  Joseph  W. 
Parkes,  1870;  Enoch  Taylor,  1870;  William  Ad:im- 
son,  1871;  Thomas  MacKellar,  Ph.D.,  1871;  Edward 
L.  AVilson,  1874 ;  Charles  M.  Lukens,  1870 ;  Sanmel 
G.  Dennisson,  Thomas  F.  Jones. 

Dr.  Blair,  as  we  have  already  stated,  was  son  of  the 
Rev.  John  Blair  of  the  Log  College,  and  bore  his 
uncle  Samuel's  name.  His  residence  in  Germantown 
is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  his  mother  was  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  Shippen  of  that  place,  in  whose  home 
Dr.  Blair  spent  the  closing  years  of  his  life. 


316  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

Mr.  Howard,  while  elder  in  this  church,  was  prepar- 
ing for  the  ministry  under  the  instruction  of  Drs. 
Junkin  and  Neill.  Soon  afterward  he  entered  the 
sacred  office,  was  pastor  of  the  Frankford  church  for 
eleven  years,  and  stated  clerk  of  Presbytery  for  a  long 
period.  After  leaving  Frankford  in  1849  he  became 
pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church  of  Pittsburgh, 
and  continued  such  until  his  death  a  few  years  since. 
He  was  an  excellent  preacher,  a  faithful  pastor  and  a 
man  of  warm  heart  and  kindly  feelings. 

Mr.  Mitchell  was  one  of  those  staunch,  upright  and 
godly  elders  who  are  the  glory  of  our  Presbyterianism. 
For  many  a  year  he  was  one  of  the  strong  pillars  of  this 
church. 

Mr.  Henry  has  now  been  elder  in  the  church  for 
thirty  years.  In  his  family  we  have  another  impressive 
instance  of  God's  faithfulness  even  to  the  third  and 
fourth  generations.  His  grandfather,  Alexander  Henry, 
came  to  this  country  from  the  North  of  Ireland  when 
he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  became  one  of  Philadel- 
phia's prosperous  merchants,  and  in  every  good  work 
was  one  of  the  most  eminent  men  of  the  city.  Elder 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  president  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  president  of  the  American  Sunday-school 
Union,  president  of  the  House  of  Refuge  and  a  man- 
ager of  many  other  benevolent  institutions,  his  name  is 
still  remembered  and  revered.  Of  his  two  sons,  one 
was  pastor  of  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  and  the  other,  John  S.,  was  the  father  of 
Alexander  Henry,  mayor  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
and  of  this  elder  in  Germantown,  Thomas  Charlton. 
Then  the  sons  of  the  last-mentioned,  forming  the  fourth 
generation,  are  all  true  to  their  father's  God  and  Church ; 
the  eldest  of  them,  the  third  Alexander  Henry,  being 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  317 

pastor  of  the  Herinon  church  in  Fraukford,  Philadel- 
phia, having  previously  held  a  pastoral  charge  for  twelve 
years  in  the  interior  of  the  State. 

Dr.  MacKellar  is  one  of  those  elders  of  whom  our 
Church  may  justly  be  proud,  with  gratitude  to  our  heav- 
enly Head  for  having  given  us  such  faithful  men.  His 
whole  history  is  full  of  evidence  that  God  bestows 
special  blessings  on  the  seed  of  the  godly.  In  his 
veins  is  running  the  blood  of  several  of  the  very  best 
types  of  our  Presbyterianisra — the  Scotch,  Dutch, 
Huguenot  and  English.  Beginning  as  a  printer  at  the 
foot  of  the  ladder,  he  gradually  rose  until  he  is  now  at 
the  head  of  the  house  which  may  be  called  "  the  most 
complete  and  the  largest  type-foundry  in  the  world." 
As  an  author,  his  works  on  the  typographic  art,  one  of 
which  has  reached  the  sixteenth  edition,  are  the  standard 
authority.  As  a  sacred  poet  many  of  his  verses  are 
amono;  the  sweetest  and  holiest  in  the  language.  The 
degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy  was  conferred  on  him 
by  the  Wooster  University  five  years  ago. 

But  it  is  as  a  Christian,  devoted  in  heart,  sound  in 
faith  and  active  in  good  works,  for  which  we  are  most 
grateful.  Brought  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ  through 
the  ministry  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Ely,  in  1834,  for 
more  than  half  a  century  he  has  known  the  power  of 
godliness.  For  forty  years  he  has  been  a  ruling  elder, 
first  in  the  Old  Pine  Street  church  and  then  in  Ger- 
mantown.  His  generous  but  unheralded  gifts  are  con- 
stantly flowing.  In  untiring  activity  in  the  holy  cause 
he  has  still  all  the  vigor  of  youthful  years. 

MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS. 

The  Sabbath-school  of  this  First  Germantown  church 
was  one  of  the  earliest  schools  established  in  the  land.- 


318  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

It  was  commenced  about  seventy  years  ago,  in  1819, 
"  for  instructing  the  children  to  read  and  learn  by 
heart  portions  of  Scripture." 

As  we  have  already  stated,  this  church  has  long  been 
noted  for  its  large  contributions  to  all  the  causes  of 
benevolence  in  the  Church.  During  the  pastorate  of 
Dr.  Knox  it  raised  for  all  religious  purposes  over  one 
hundred  and  seven  thousand  dollars,  of  which  more 
than  sixty-three  thousand  dollars  were  contributed  to 
the  various  Boards  of  the  Church.  In  ten  years  sev- 
enty-three thousand  have  been  given  to  other  benev- 
olent objects  outside  of  the  congregation  itself  For 
many  years  it  was  the  twelfth  church  in  connection 
with  the  General  Assembly  in  its  contributions  to  the 
cause  of  Christ. 

Another  excellency  of  this  church  is  the  thorough 
organization  of  its  "  Ladies'  Pastoral  Aid  Society,"  by 
which  all  the  latent  power  of  the  people  is  drawn  out 
and  systematized  for  every  department  of  the  work  for 
Christ  and  his  Church.  An  efficient  standing  com- 
mittee exists  for  the  performance  of  every  duty  that 
can  give  comfort  in  the  house  of  God  or  success  in  the 
effi)rt  to  build  up  the  kingdom. 

There  are  also  three  or  four  mission  enterprises  sup- 
ported by  the  church  intended  to  supply  neighboring 
districts  with  the  stated  means  of  grace  and  to  lay 
foundations  of  what  may  at  some  future  day  be  distinct 
churches. 

Thus  it  is  that  this  church  has  gone  on  from  great 
weakness  at  first,  received  the  divine  blessing  at  every 
stage  of  its  progress,  seen  the  work  prospering  in  its 
hands,  until  now  it  is  one  of  the  strongest,  most  active 
and  most  devoted  in  connection  with  our  General  As- 
sembly. 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GEXERAL  ASSEMBLY.  319 


THE   DURHAM    CHURCH. 

The  older  members  of  Presbytery  remember  a 
venerable  elder,  named  Morgan  Long,  who  in  former 
times  was  always  present  at  every  stated  meeting.  So 
prompt  and  faitliful  was  he  in  liis  attendance  at  all 
times  that  we  came  to  regard  him  as  an  essential  part 
of  our  sessions.  No  matter  how  inconvenient  of  access 
the  place  of  meeting  or  how  unfavorable  the  weather, 
he  was  always  there — was  always  among  the  first  and 
remained  until  the  close.  Even  though  lame  and  be- 
ginning to  feel  the  infirmities  of  age,  still  he  would  be 
in  his  place.  He  assumed  no  prominence,  he  took  up  no 
time,  he  shrank  from  no  duty,  but  he  was  never  absent. 

This  faithful  elder  represented  a  church  whose  name 
is  not  now  on  our  roll.  Our  younger  members  do  not 
even  know  its  name  nor  the  place  where  it  was  situated. 
Yet  Durham  was  formerly  one  of  our  churches  and 
formed  an  integral  part  of  our  Presbytery.  It  had  a 
history  of  many  years.  It  continued  in  existence  for 
almost  the  "  threescore  and  ten "  years  of  man's  al- 
lotted days.  Now,  however,  it  is  gone,  except  in  its 
fruits,  which  have  been  gathered  into  the  celestial 
storehouse.  Probablv  not  more  than  one  or  two  of  its 
former  members  remain  in  the  place  where  it  once 
stood. 

And  yet,  though  it  be  so,  the  blame  cannot  be  laid 
to  the  unfaithfulness  of  pastors  or  elders  or  people. 
The  candlestick  is  gone,  but  not  because  of  any  declin- 
ing of  first  love.  The  cause  is  simply  that  the  material 
composing  the  church  has  disappeared.  Death  has 
taken  some,  but  removals  to  other  parts  of  the  land 
still  more.  Another  people,  with  other  religious  views, 
have  taken  the  place  of  those  who  have  departed. 


320  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

The  first  trace  of  this  church  which  we  can  find  is 
in  the  year  1811.  In  a  small  book  of  the  minutes  of 
its  Session  there  is  a  notice  of  its  beginning  and  a 
summary  of  its  history  for  its  first  quarter  of  a  century. 
A  number  of  the  citizens  of  the  township  of  Durham 
and  parts  adjacent  assembled  together  December  16, 

1811,  for  the  purpose  of  providing  means  for  the  build- 
ing of  a  meeting-house  for  a  place  of  worship.  It  was 
agreed  that  certain  persons  should  be  appointed  a  board 
of  trustees  to  superintend  the  building  of  such  a  house 
for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  English  Presbyterians, 
the  German  Reformed  and  the  Lutheran  congregations. 
On  the  eighth  day  of  August  of  the  following  year, 

1812,  William  Long  deeded  an  acre  of  ground  for  such 
church-edifice  and  a  burying-ground,  and  the  house 
was  immediately  built. 

After  that  for  twenty-three  years,  or  until  1835,  we 
know  very  little  of  the  progress  of  the  congregation ; 
no  detailed  records  were  kept.  There  was  simply  a 
statement  of  the  names  of  the  elders  and  stated  sup- 
plies. In  the  year  1835  there  is  given  a  full  list  of 
all  who  were  members  of  the  church  at  that  time. 
And  a  curious  fact  is  that  of  all  the  twenty  persons 
who  were  members  then,  no  less  than  nine,  or  nearly 
one-half,  bore  the  name  of  Long.  This  must  therefore 
have  been  the  one  large  family  connection  which  com- 
posed the  church  and  bore  its  burdens.  In  the  list, 
moreover,  we  find,  for  the  first  time,  the  name  of  Morgan 
Long,  in  whose  person  so  much  of  the  church's  whole 
history  was  undoubtedly  centred. 

From  that  date,  1835,  forward,  the  whole  career  of 
the  church  seems  to  have  been  one  continuous  strug- 
gle for  existence.  The  ministers  who  filled  its  pulpit 
seem  all  to  have  been  stated  supplies ;  we  find  no  name 


I 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  321 

of  a  settled  pastor.  With  the  one  determined  purpose 
of  living  on,  the  church  seems  to  have  been  connected 
sometimes  with  the  Presbytery  of  Newton,  New  Jersey, 
and  sometimes  with  ours. 

All  the  minutes  of  the  Session  are  contained  in  about 
fifty  small  pages  of  records,  in  which  are  found  minutes 
of  meetings,  receptions  of  a  few  members,  baptisms,  elec- 
tions of  ciders  and  the  names  of  the  ministers  who  were 
the  stated  supplies. 

So  far  as  known,  the  names  of  the  stated  supplies  and 
their  times  of  service  are  as  follows :  Mr.  Boyer,  1813, 
two  years;  INIr.  Bishop,  1816,  until  his  death;  various 
supplies  from  Presbytery  of  Newton  ;  John  Gray,  1).  D. 
(then  pastor  of  First  church  of  Easton),  one  Sabbath 
in  the  month  for  several  years ;  no  stated  supply  until 
1833 ;  Joseph  McCool,  1833,  two  years ;  Joseph  Wor- 
rell, 1836,  one  year;  J.  W.  Yeomans,  D.  D.,  1843,  two 
years;  C.  W.  Nassau,  D.  D.  (then  professor  in  Lafay- 
ette College),  1845,  three  years;  J.  J.  Carrell,  1851, 
two  years ;  W.  C.  Cattell,  D.  D.  (professor  in  Lafayette 
College),  1857,  four  years;  John  L.  Grant,  1801,  three 
years. 

The  entire  roll  of  the  ruling  eldei"s  contains  but  six 
names :  William  Long,  1833 ;  John  Cawly,  1833 ; 
Morgan  Long,  1843;  James  M.  Long,  1860;  William 
Bennett,  1860;  James  Jardine,  1860. 

Morgan  Long  died  March  11,  1864,  and  virtually  the 
church  died  with  him.  As  the  leading  elder  he  had 
served  for  twenty-one  years,  but  he  had  been  a  member 
almost  from  the  beginning.  He  was  largely  the  embodi- 
ment of  the  church  from  first  to  last ;  it  was  the  life  of 
his  life.  Modest,  quiet,  but  firm  and  true,  persevering, 
faithful,  noble  in  the  highest  sense,  he  was  one  of  those 
excellent  elders  who  have  made  our  Church  what  it  is. 

21 


322  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

After  the  deatli  of  Mr.  Long  the  church  had  a  nomi- 
nal existence  for  eight  years,  but  really  little  more 
than  nominal.  There  were  occasional  services  and 
occasional  meetings  of  Session,  but  the  latter  were  sim- 
ply to  grant  certificates  of  dismission  to  members  who 
were  seeking  other  church  homes.  The  last  recorded 
meeting  of  Session  was  May  1,  1872.  This  was  sixty 
years  after  the  church  was  commenced,  and  then  the 
history  closes.  The  name  has  disappeared  from  our  roll, 
but  shall  not  the  name  of  the  Durham  church  be  some 
day  restored  ? 

THOMPSON  MEMORIAL  CHURCH. 

This  old  church  has  had  a  career  of  usefulness  for 
seventy-six  years.  It  was  formally  organized  on  the 
third  Sabbath  of  April,  1813,  by  the  Rev.  James  N. 
Wilson,  D.  D.,  who  organized  so  many  of  our  early 
churches.  He  did  this  under  the  direction  of  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Philadelphia.  The  name  which  was  given  to 
it  then,  and  which  it  bore  for  sixty-two  years,  was  that 
of  "  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Solebury."  Many  of 
the  original  members  had  been  connected  with  the  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Newtown.  Among  the  first  of  these 
were  William  Neely,  Richard  Corson  and  Mrs.  Samuel 
D.  Ingham,  the  wife  of  the  eminent  Mr.  Ingham  who 
was  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  President  Jackson. 
Mr.  Ingham  was  also  father-in-law  of  the  Rev.  George 
Hale,  D.  D.,  for  many  years  the  secretary  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Board  of  Ministerial  Relief. 

In  1875  the  name  of  this  chuj  Ji  was  changed  to  "  the 
Thompson  Memorial  Church,"  by  which  it  is  now 
inown. 

THE    BUILDINGS. 

The  first  church-edifice  was  built  in  the  year  1812. 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  323 

In  erecting  this  structure  Dr.  Amzi  Armstrong  of  New 
Jersey  seems  to  have  taken  an  active  part.  The  present 
house  was  built  in  the  year  1875  by  William  Neely 
Thompson,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  in  memory  of  his 
father,  Thomas  M.  Thompson,  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  church  and  for  many  years  a  ruling  elder  in  it.  It 
is  a  stone  building  and  one  of  the  most  picturesque  of 
our  country  churches. 

The  church  has  also  a  chapel  in  the  village  of  New 
Hope  which  was  erected  in  1875.  It  is  a  neat  frame 
structure  with  seating  capacity  for  two  hundred  persons. 
Sabbath-school  and  preaching-services  had  long  been 
maintained  in  that  neighborhood  by  the  Lambertville 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Studdiford 
"was  the  pastor,  and  after  the  chapel  was  built  the  ground 
was  given  up  to  the  Solebury  church,  by  which  the 
services  are  still  continued. 

THE    PASTORS. 

For  about  eight  years  of  the  first  part  of  the  history 
of  this  church  the  records  have  been  lost,  and  conse- 
quently we  have  no  certain  information  as  to  the  dates 
of  the  beginning  and  ending  of  the  first  two  pastorates. 
The  whole  list  of  pastors  is  as  follows,  the  dates  con- 
nected with  the  first  two  being  approximate :  Samuel 
B.  Howe,  1813,  four  years;  Thomas  Dunn,  1817,  three 
years  ;  Peter  O.  Studdiford,  D.  D.,  1821,  twenty-seven 
years  ;  William  Henry  Kirk,  1849,  four  years ;  Henry 
E.  Spayd,  1853,  fourteen  years ;  Henry  Calkins,  1868, 
five  years;  William  Dayton  Roberts,  D.  D.,  187G,  five 
years ;  Henry  D.  Lindsay,  1883,  one  year ;  Dwight  C. 
Hanna,  1886,  the  present  pastor. 

Mr.  Dunn  had  been  pastor  of  the  First  church  of 
Germantowu,  and  left  there  in  consequence  of  declining 


324  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

health  in  1815.  His  coming  here  was  therefore  prob- 
ably about  1817. 

Dr.  Studdiford  began  his  work  here  as  a  licentiate 
and  stated  supply,  and  continued  such  for  four  years, 
when  he  was  ordained  and  installed. 

The  installations  of  Messrs.  Kirk,  Spayd  and  Calkins 
occurred  while  the  church  was  known  as  Solebury,  and 
therefore  their  dates  are  not  in  our  hands. 

Dr.  Roberts  was  ordained  and  installed  July  6, 1876; 
he  is  now  a  pastor  in  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Lindsay  was 
ordained  and  installed  June  11, 1883 ;  he  is  now  pastor 
of  the  Brainerd  church  of  Easton. 

Mr.  Hanna  was  ordained  and  installed  June  1, 1885. 
He  has  now  held  the  charge  for  three  years,  and  under 
his  ministry  the  venerable  church  gives  every  evidence 
of  renewing  its  youth. 

THE    KULING    ELDERS. 

It  is  believed  that  the  entire  roll  of  the  brethren 
who  have  held  the  office  of  elder  in  this  church  has 
been  preserved  :  William  Neely,  1813  ;  Benjamin  Pid- 
cock,  1813;  Thomas  M.  Thompson,  1813;  Daniel  Wyn- 
koop,  1813 ;  Joseph  Scarborough,  1819 ;  Emley  Hol- 
combe,  1819;  William  Wilson,  1823;  Samuel  Mc- 
Nair  (?)  ;  John  Poor  (?)  ;  Isaac  Van  Horn,  1834 ; 
Dean  Gray,  1843;  Sutton  Scarborough,  1843;  Henry 
Wynkoop,  1843. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  father  of  the  good  friend  who 
rebuilt  the  church-edifice  in  1875  in  honor  of  his  parent, 
and  gave  to  it  its  present  name. 

Mr.  Henry  Wynkoop  is  still,  after  almost  half 
a  century,  the  same  loving,  active  elder  in  the 
church.  He  bears  a  name  found  in  most  of  the 
Neshaminy   churches,   which,    coming   down    through 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  325 

many  generations,  proves   tliat   God's   covenant  ever 
stands  sure, 

ADDITIONAL. 

The  old  family  names  found  in  the  list  of  the  elders 
of  this  church  show  that  it  belon2;s  to  the  familv  of  the 
Neshaminy  churches,  and  affords  another  evidence  of 
the  vast  and  deep  work  of  grace  which  in  the  former 
days  pervaded  this  whole  region  and  gave  it  its  abiding 
character  for  truth  and  righteousness. 

In  tracing  this  history  the  writer  has  constantly  felt 
regret  that  the  church's  old  name  of  Solebury  has  been 
changed.  By  that  name  the  church,  to  the  historian, 
was  located ;  with  that  name  its  sacred  traditions  were 
associated ;  and  the  change  seems  to  have  broken  the 
continuity  of  its  life  and  detracted  from  its  venerable- 
ness.  This  remark  pertains  equally  to  all  changes  of 
the  names  of  churches,  and  for  that  reason  we  venture 
to  make  it.  At  the  same  time,  we  dearly  honor  the 
fdial  reverence  that  would  perpetuate  the  name  of  a 
godly  ancestry.  It  should  be  done,  but,  if  possible,  in 
some  way  that  would  leave  the  venerable  traditions  of 
a  church  untouched. 

It  is  good  to  see  one  of  our  old  churches  reviving 
and  growing  vigorous  again,  as  this  one  is.  It  is  to  be 
hoped,  and  expected  too,  that  its  improvement  will 
go  on  until  it  shall  have  become  one  of  our  strong 
Neshaminy  churches. 

NORRISTOWN    FIRST. 

The  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Norristown  was 
formally  organized  September  4,  1819,  by  the  Rev. 
James  P.  Wilson,  D.  D.,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.      Previous  to  that  time, 


326  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

however,  there  had  been  an  unusual  amount  of  pre- 
paratory work  done.  A  congregation  had  been  col- 
lected, first  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jones,  who  had  charge 
of  the  old  Norristown  Academy,  and  afterward  by  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Barr,  who  also  taught  in  the  same  insti- 
tution while  pastor  of  the  Norriton  and  Providence 
churches.  Both  of  these  had  preached  statedly  in  the 
academy,  and  so  had  collected  a  nucleus  for  the  church. 
By  Mr.  Barr  especially  the  foundations  had  been  laid, 
and,  in  a  sense,  the  commencement  of  the  church  might 
be  dated  from  1813,  when  he  began  his  ministry  at 
Norriton  and  Providence.  Besides  this  preparation,  a 
church-edifice  had  also  been  erected  by  the  congrega- 
tion, and  finished  the  year  before  the  organization. 
And,  for  those  times,  it  must  have  been  a  fine  struc- 
ture, inasmuch  as  its  whole  cost  was  more  than  seven 
thousand  four  hundred  dollars. 

After  the  organization  there  seems  to  have  been  no 
special  installation  of  Mr.  Barr  as  the  pastor  of  the 
church  ;  he  appears  merely  to  have  continued  in  it  as  a 
part  of  his  established  charge  as  the  pastor  of  the  three 
churches,  Norriton  and  Providence  and  Norristown. 
During  the  remaining  time  of  his  pastorate  that  ar- 
rangement continued,  and  he  ministered  to  Norristown 
as  well  as  to  the  other  two  churches.  In  fact,  the  same 
grouping  of  the  churches  continued  for  about  ten  years 
after  the  organization,  when  Norristown,  having  been 
greatly  strengthened,  needed  the  entire  services  of  a 
pastor  and  was  able  to  bear  the  expense. 

Not  long  after  its  commencement  this  church  en- 
tered the  troublous  scenes  of  the  Old  and  New  School 
controversy,  was  greatly  agitated  thereby,  and,  July 
12,  1838,  at  its  own  request  it  was  transferred  to  the 
Third    Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,   which   was   New 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  327 

School.  In  this  connection  it  remained  for  sixteen 
years,  until  1854,  when,  after  much  controversy  and 
strong  feeling,  the  church  decided  by  a  large  majority 
vote  of  the  congregation  and  an  unanimous  resolution 
of  the  trustees  to  return  to  its  former  connection.  It 
was  accordingly  received  into  the  Second  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia.  In  the  mean  time,  however,  a  rupture 
in  the  church  had  been  made.  A  party  withdrew 
and  was  organized  as  another  church  under  the  name 
of  "  the  Central  Presbyterian  church  of  Norristown." 
The  old  congregation  retained  the  succession,  divided 
the  Sabbath-school  library  with  their  seceding  brethren 
and  gave  them  church  property  valued  at  four  thou- 
sand dollars. 

From  that  time  forward  for  thirty-four  years  there 
have  been  no  organic  changes  in  the  church,  which  has 
gone  on  steadily  from  strength  to  strength. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

As  already  stated,  for  a  short  time,  while  in  a  forma- 
tive condition,  the  congj*egation  worshiped  in  the  old 
academy.  This,  however,  in  a  little  while  became  too 
strait  for  them,  and  in  1818  the  first  church-edifice 
was  erected,  and  continued  to  be  the  only  structure  pre- 
vious to  the  one  that  is  now  in  use.  This  buildjng  was 
commenced  in  1853,  and  dedicated  September  16,  1854, 
thirty-six  years  after  the  erection  of  the  former  one. 
It  is  amonjrst  the  largest  church-edifices  in  the  Pres- 
bytery,  and,  having  every  comfort  and  all  needed  at- 
tractiveness in  ornamentation,  it  is  a  model  for  a 
Presbyterian  church.  In  1853  a  well-arranged  manse, 
in  cottage  style,  was  erected  on  a  lot  adjoining  the 
church,  at  an  expense  of  over  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars. 


S28  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 


PASTORS, 

During  the  seventy  years  of  its  history,  up  to  the 
present  time,  this  church  has  had  eight  pastors  :  Joseph 
Barr,  1819  (in  Norriton  and  Providence  six  years 
hefore),  ten  years;  Charles  W.  Nassau,  D.  D.,  Nov.  16, 
1825,  three  years;  Kobert  Adair,  Nov.,  1834,  three 
years;  Samuel  M.  Gould,  September  25,  1838,  thirteen 
years ;  Randolph  A.  Smith,  1852,  four  years ;  Job  F. 
Halsey,  D.  D.,  May  11,  1856,  twenty-four  years ;  Wil- 
liam B.  Noble,  D.  D.,  May  5,  1881,  five  years;  Thomas 
K.  Beeber,  June  1,  1887,  the  present  pastor. 

Mr.  Barr  began  his  pastorate  with  the  organization 
of  the  church  in  1819.  He  had  served  the  Norri- 
ton and  Providence  churches  since  1813,  and  these 
churches  were  connected  with  Norristown  during  the 
rest  of  his  pastorate.  The  church  grew  substantially 
during  his  ministry.  He  resigned  in  1823,  after  a 
pastorate  of  four  years. 

Dr.  Nassau  was  installed  pastor  of  the  united 
churches  of  Norriton,  Providence  and  Norristown 
Nov.  16,  1825.  He  resigned  because  of  impaired 
health  in  1828.  His  health,  however,  after  a  time 
being  restored,  a  career  of  great  usefulness  awaited 
him.  He  was  first  called  to  the  professorship  of  He- 
brew in  Marion  College,  Missouri ;  thence  he  went  to 
Lafayette  College,  Easton,  first  as  professor  of  Latin 
and  Greek,  and  then  as  president  of  the  institution. 
After  that,  again,  he  was  for  twenty-five  years  princi- 
pal of  the  female  seminary  in  Lawrenceville,  New 
Jersey.  In  all  these  important  positions  he  was  enabled 
to  do  much  for  the  Master  by  his  earnest  piety  and 
fine  scholarship. 

Mr.  Adair  was  installed  November,  1834.     During 


I 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GEyERAL  ASSEMBLY.  329 

his  pastorate  of  three  years,  as  he  writes  in  a  letter  to 
a  friend,  "  my  [his]  work  there,  mainly,  was  to  tie  up 
the  loose  ends  and  get  the  church  in  working  order  for 
my  successor."  He  resigned  in  1837  to  take  charge  of 
the  Franklin  Street  church,  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Adair 
is  a  very  remarkable  man.  His  whole  life  has  been 
full  of  most  active  and  successful  service  in  the  blessed 
cause.  Though  born  in  1802,  in  Ireland,  he  is  still,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  nearly  ninety,  full  of  vigor  and 
animation  as  he  kindles  in  love  for  the  Lord  and  his 
cause. 

Mr.  Gould  was  installed  by  the  Third  Presbytery  of 
Philadeli)hia  September  25,  1838.  His  pastorate  was 
remarkable  for  its  many  and  very  precious  revival  sea- 
sons. Mr.  Gould  reckons  no  less  than  six  of  these  dur- 
ing the  twelve  years.  His  ministry  here  was  certainly 
one  of  far  more  than  ordinary  success.  In  18ol  he 
felt  constrained  to  resign.  He  was  a  most  earnest 
worker  and  a  fearless  preacher. 

Mr.  Smith  was  installed  June  3,  1852,  by  the  Third 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  While  he  was  the  pastor 
the  present  spacious  church -edifice  was  built  at  a  cost 
of  over  twenty-four  thousand  dollars.  Another  event 
of  this  pastorate  was  the  return  of  the  church  to  the 
Second  Presbytery,  Old  School,  with  which  it  was  orig- 
inally connected.  In  consecpionce  of  continued  ill-health 
Mr.  Smith  was  obliged  to  resign  his  paj^torate  after  four 
years  of  faithful  service. 

Dr.  Halsey  was  installed  March  13,  185(5.  He  was 
a  member  of  a  family  of  great  eminence  in  our  Pres- 
byterian Church.  His  father  was  Captain  Luther 
Halsey,  a  jiatriot  who  served  through  the  whole  Rev- 
olutionary War.  Captain  Halsey  had  four  sons,  all 
of  whom  graduated  at  Union  College  and  entered  the 


330  PRESBYTERY   OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

ministry.  They  were — Rev.  Luther  Halsey,  D.  D., 
of  Allegheny  Seminary ;  Rev.  L.  J.  Halsey,  D.  D.,  of 
Chicago ;  Rev.  Abram  Halsey  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
church  of  Bucks  county ;  and  Job  F.,  the  youngest. 
During  this  pastorate  of  twenty-six  years  the  church 
steadily  progressed  in  all  its  highest  and  best  interests. 
Dr.  Halsey  was  a  man  remarkable  for  his  many  excel- 
lences as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  His 
knowledge  of  Scripture  was  so  full  that  his  sermons 
were  peculiarly  rich.  Warm-hearted  and  of  affection- 
ate piety,  he  was  greatl}^  beloved.  Though  fifty-four 
years  of  age  when  he  took  charge  of  the  church,  he 
was  still  able  to  preach  with  unusual  vigor  until  he 
reached  eighty. 

During  the  latter  part  of  Dr.  Halsey's  pastorate  the 
Rev.  William  B.  Waller  was  invited  to  become  assist- 
ant in  the  pastoral  work.  He  accepted  the  call,  and 
was  ordained  and  installed  by  Presbytery,  February  19, 
1874.  He  labored  here  for  two  years  with  great  accept- 
ance, when  he  was  called  to  take  charge  of  a  new  church 
enterprise  in  Scranton,  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  Noble  was  installed  April  19,  1881.  He  was 
a  faithful  member  of  Presbytery,  always  at  the  post 
of  duty  and  usefulness.  After  five  years  of  service 
lie  resigned,  and  now  holds  an  important  pastoral 
charge  in  California. 

Mr.  Beeber  was  installed  June  1,  1887.  He  is 
the  present  pastor,  and  under  his  able  ministry  the 
church  has  the  brightest  prospects  of  future  prog- 
ress and  usefulness. 

THE    RULING    ELDERS. 

We  are  fortunately  able  to  give  a  ooraplete  list  of  all 
the  elders  who  have  held  ofiice  in  this  church  :  Robert 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  331 

Hamill,  1819;  Ulrich  Schlater,  1819;  Hugh  Dixon, 
1819;  William  Powell,  1828;  David  Getty,  1828; 
William  McGlatliery,  1828;  Jacob  Teany,  1838; 
Marmaduke  S.  Burr,  1842 ;  Levi  Streeper,  1849 ; 
Samuel  Beaver,  1855;  George  Camm,  1855;  Cor- 
nelius L.  Baker,  M.  D.,  1855 ;  Henry  McMiller, 
1855;  Benjamin  Davis,  1855;  Philip  Cressman,  1855; 
John  Hill,  1860;  Samuel  O'Neill,  1800;  William 
Mogee,  1863;  Samuel  D.  Powell,  1866.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  Session  at  the  present  time  are — G.  Rod- 
man Fox,  1855 ;  John  K.  Balston,  1860 ;  Joseph  K. 
Gotwals,  1872;  William  Craig,  1872;  Abraham  A. 
Yeakle,  1872. 

Concerning  these  men,  with  all  of  whom  he  was 
personally  acquainted,  Dr.  Ralston  wrote :  "  While 
among  them  there  was  great  diversity  of  opinion  as 
well  as  of  talent  and  attainment,  it  can  be  truthfully 
said  of  them  all  that  they  were  men  fearing  God  and 
loving  righteousness." 

We  would  like  to  dwell  a  moment  on  the  history  of 
each  of  these  men,  but  it  is  impossible,  and  we  can  say 
a  word  or  two  only  about  the  first,  Mr.  Hamill.  Con- 
cerning him  Mr.  Gould  writes :  "  The  first,  the  leading 
elder,  and  who  may  be  regarded  as  the  father  of  the 
church,  was  Robert  Hamill,  Esq.  He  came  to  this 
country  from  the  North  of  Ireland  in  early  life  and 
settled  in  Norristown,  where  he  engaged  in  mei'cantile 
pursuits,  and  was  much  esteemed  for  his  uprightness 
and  Christian  integrity.  From  the  first  formation  of 
the  church  he  was  the  most  active  member  of  it,  and 
his  house  was  the  home  of  ministers.  He  wtis  the 
father  of  a  large  family."  Three  of  his  sons  became 
eminent  ministers  of  our  Church,  two  of  whom  still 
live.      Of   his  three  daughters,  two  were  married  to 


332  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

prominent  Presbyterian  clergymen,  and  a  third  to  a 
Presbyterian  elder. 

REV.  J.  GKIEK   RALSTON,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  AND  THE  OAKLAND 

FEMALE    INSTITUTE. 

Any  account  of  the  Norristown  First  church  would 
be  incomplete  which  did  not  tell  of  Dr.  Ralston  and 
the  seminary  which  he  founded  and  conducted  so  long. 
He  was  one  of  those  really  great  men  to  whom  our 
Presbyterian  Church  owes  so  much,  and  yet  who,  by 
reason  of  the  modesty  of  true  greatness,  are  not  known 
so  widely  as  the  interests  of  the  cause  demand.  He 
was  an  eminent  example  of  the  truth  which  we  cannot 
make  too  emphatic,  that  God  blesses  families  because 
of  the  faithfulness  of  parents.  Of  his  uncles  on  his 
father's  side  three  were  elders  and  one  a  minister ;  on 
his  mother's  side,  of  the  members  of  four  generations,, 
beginning  with  his  great-grandfather  and  ending  with 
himself,  no  less  than  tiventy-siz  were  ministers,  and  of 
the  elders  in  the  family  no  record  can  be  given  save 
that  the  last  one  of  the  succession,  his  brother  John,  is 
now  an  elder  of  this  church.  Dr.  Ralston's  own  history 
was  strangely  overruled  by  Providence.  The  purpose 
of  his  life  was  to  carry  the  gospel  as  a  missionary  to  the 
Indians,  but  threatening  ill-health  stopped  him  just  as 
he  was  entering  upon  that  work,  and  he  was  forced  into 
that  profession  for  which  he  was  so  eminently  qualified 
and  in  which  was  to  be  his  grand  life-work. 

He  was  a  man  of  superior  abilities,  which,  however, 
were  appreciated  only  by  his  most  intimate  friends — 
his  unobtrusive  disposition  kept  him  from  being  known. 
His  religious  principles,  founded  on  the  sure  word  of 
God,  were  deep  and  real  in  their  influence  upon  his 
whole  nature.      His   learning  was  thorough,  accurate 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  333 

and  of  extended  character.  There  was  no  pretence 
or  sham  or  mere  surface  culture  in  him :  all  was  real 
and  deep  and  true.  As  a  man  of  good  common  sense 
and  business  ability  few  surpassed  him.  As  an  educa- 
tor the  astonishiug  success  of  the  institution  which  he 
founded  and  conducted  was  his  best  testimonial.  As  a 
close  daily  student  of  the  Bible  he  surpassed  any  other 
jDerson  with  whom  the  writer  has  been  acquainted. 
Not  known  even  by  his  family  during  his  life,  it  was 
discovered  after  his  death  that  he  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  reading  the  Bible  through  thrice  every  year.  In 
Presbytery  and  in  the  Boards  of  the  Church  he  was 
always  in  his  place,  and  never  shrank  from  the  discharge 
of  any  duty.  As  to  this  particular  church  with  which  he 
and  his  family  were  immediately  connected,  as  a  counsel- 
or in  every  difficulty,  as  president  of  its  board  of  trustees 
for  twenty-one  years,  as  preacher  ready  to  take  its  pul- 
pit in  any  emergency,  as  liberal  supporter,  as  making 
up  so  much  of  its  audience  by  the  long  procession  of 
his  pupils,  and  as  its  wise  friend,  always  true  as  steel, 
it  owes  to  him  more  of  its  past  success  than  it  will  ever 
be  able  to  understand. 

The  writer  owes  to  him  a  debt  of  gratitude  which  he 
can  never  forget.  When  he  was  entering  the  ministry 
a  stranger,  timid  and  unknown.  Dr.  Ralston  visited 
him,  sympathized  with  him  and  encouraged  him  in  a 
manner  that  had  a  lasting  effect.  Then  as  a  lifelong 
friend  none  knew  better  than  he  of  Dr.  Ralston 's  cease- 
less industry,  his  strong  sense  of  justice,  his  thorough- 
ness in  everything  he  undertook  and  his  fidelity  to  his 
convictions  of  right. 

We  might  add  very  much  concerning  the  Oakland 
Female  Institute,  which  was  the  great  work  of  his  life. 
We  delight  to  think  of  it  as  one  of  the  many  streams  of 


334  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

blessed  influences  whicli  have  flowed  out  from  the  great 
fountain  of  the  Log  College.  The  Rev.  Charles  Clin- 
ton Beatty  was  one  of  the  most  honored  of  the  sons  of 
that  school  of  the  prophets;  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Beatty,  D.  D., 
his  grandson,  was  founder  and  principal  of  the  cele- 
brated female  seminary  of  Steubenville,  Ohio ;  and 
Mrs.  Ralston  was  one  of  Norristown's  best  and  truest 
daughters, — how  much  had  her  sweet  but  powerful 
influence  to  do  with  shaping  Oakland's  wonderful  his- 
tory !  How  truly  wonderful  that  history  was  we  can 
describe  only  by  the  results.  A  seminary  sometimes 
containing  no  fewer  than  one  hundred  and  seventy 
young  ladies,  which  was  instrumental  in  the  conversion 
of  more  than  six  hundred  souls,  which  during  its 
course  had  in  it,  under  the  benign  influence  of  its  men- 
tal and  religious  training,  a  band  of  over  two  thousand 
five  hundred  of  the  daughters  chiefly  of  our  Presby- 
terian Church, — how  is  it  possible  for  us  to  use  lan- 
guage by  which  the  boundless  and  endless  influences  for 
good  of  such  an  institution  could  be  exaggerated  ? 

A  single  paragraph  more  is  all  that  can  be  devoted 
to  this  subject :  "  Of  the  two  thousand  five  hundred 
young  ladies  educated  at  Oakland,  but  very  few  have 
been  permitted  to  make  a  wreck  of  character  or  to 
bring  upon  themselves  social  blight.  Many  of  them  are 
occupying  and  adorning  the  highest  social  positions  in 
our  land.  Some  of  them  are  conspicuous  as  principals 
of  schools,  while  others  are  teachers  in  subordinate  posi- 
tions. T'wo  of  them  have  already  laid  down  their  lives 
in  the  service  of  their  Master  on  the  western  coast  of 
Africa.  Four  have  given  themselves  to  the  cause  of 
missions  in  India.  One  is  to-day  a  toiler  in  the  vine- 
yard of  the  Lord  in  Japan,  while  another  pursues  her 
self-denying   labors   for    Christ   among   the    Choctaw 


PERIOD  OF  TUE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  335 

Indians.  As  every  State  in  the  Union  was  represented 
in  the  pupils  of  Oakhmd,  as  was  also  Canada,  South 
America,  Cuba,  Great  Britain,  Germany  and  Greece, 
it  is  not  wonderful  that  they  are  scattered  throughout 
the  world  to-day.  Some  have  gone  down  to  an  early 
grave,  and  ere  they  crossed  the  Dark  Valley  have  left 
on  record  their  testimony  that  God's  grace  is  sufficient 
even  for  a  dying  hour." 

MANAYUNK   CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  in  1832,  and  for  the  sake 
of  distinctness  the  fifty-six  years  of  its  history  may  be 
divided  into  three  periods  :  (1)  The  period  of  formation, 
consisting  of  the  fifteen  years  from  1832  to  1847  ;  (2) 
the  period  of  confirmation,  consisting  of  the  twenty 
years  from  1847  to  1867 ;  (3)  the  period  of  growth, 
consisting  of  the  twenty-one  years  from  1867  to  1888. 

The  first  period  was  emphatically  one  of  weakness  and 
struggling,  but  of  perseverance.  The  church  was  origi- 
nated by  the  labors  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Brown,  who 
was  sent  out  as  the  agent  of  a  society  connected 
with  the  Fifth  (now  Arch  Street)  Presbyterian  church 
of  Philadelphia,  whose  object  it  was  "to  spread  the 
gospel  in  the  surrounding  villages."  He  instituted 
prayer-meetings  and  established  Sabbath-schools  in 
Manayunk,  Roxborough,  Barren  Hill,  Falls  of  Schuyl- 
kill and  Lower  Merion,  where  churches  have  since 
sprung  up.  In  some  cases,  like  Thomas  Charles  of 
Wales,  he  started  "reading  classes"  for  some  who  did 
not  know  even  the  alphabet. 

After  a  time  of  such  preparatory  work  the  church  was 
organized  in  the  private  house  of  Mr.  James  Darrach 
on  Saturday  afternoon,  Nov.  10,  1832,  with  thirty-five 
members.     It  was  organized  by  the  Second  Presbytery 


336  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

of  the  Assembly  (N.  S.) ;  the  Second  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia  (O.  8.)  was  not  constituted  until  the  next 
year.  It  was  originally  designated  the  "First  Presby- 
terian church  of  Roxborough  township."  Subsequently 
the  name  was  changed  to  the  "  First  Presbyterian  church 
of  Manayunk." 

The  struggles  of  the  church  at  this  time,  manifesting 
how  limited  were  the  means  of  the  people,  may  be  seen 
from  the  fact  that  though  this  period  lasted  only  fifteen 
years,  there  were  no  less  than  six  pastorates.  In  fact, 
throughout  this  period  the  church  was  engaged  in  one 
continued  effort  for  existence,  wrestling  with  debt  and 
difficulty  and  on  the  verge  of  losing  everything.  So 
poor  were  the  members  of  the  congregation  that  it  was 
not  until  near  the  close  of  the  period  that  they  were 
able  to  increase  the  pastor's  salar}'-  to  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars.  Yet  so  persevering  and  true  were  the 
people  that  the  number  of  the  communicants  was  more 
than  doubled.  In  1836  the  church  transferred  its  con- 
nection from  the  Third  Presbytery,  which  took  the 
place  of  the  Assembly's  Second,  to  our  Second  Presby- 
tery, which  had  been  constituted   three   years  before. 

Of  the  second  period,  from  1847  to  1867,  the  most 
prominent  characteristic  was  that  the  single  pastorate 
of  the  Rev.  Andrew  Culver  extended  through  its  whole 
twenty  years.  This  fact  was  the  more  remarkable  in 
that  during  this  period  there  were  two  serious  obstacles 
to  progress  :  First,  there  were  the  financial  embarrass- 
ments of  1857  and  1858,  which  in  a  manufacturing 
town  must  have  had  a  most  depressing  influence ;  then 
from  1861  onward  was  the  War  of  the  Secession,  which 
distracted  effort  from  religious  things  and  drew  away 
many  young  men  to  the  army.  Yet  amid  all  the 
congregation  settled  down  into  a  firmer  and  stronger 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  337 

condition.  The  cliurcli-edifice  was  enlarged  by  the  ad- 
dition of  another  story,  the  pastor  labored  faith  fully 
to  increase  the  attendance  on  the  sanctuary  and  the 
Bible  was  diligently  taught  to  the  young.  Through 
such  means  as  these  it  came  to  pass  that  at  the  close  of 
twenty  years  the  church  was  established  on  a  stable  and 
lasting  basis. 

The  third  period,  from  1867  to  1888,  has  been  one 
of  steady  and  substantial  growth.  It  has  embraced 
three  successive  pastorates,  in  each  of  which  the  church 
has  advanced,  and  through  these  pastorates  former 
weakness  has  been  overcome  and  strength  for  the 
future  has  been  attained,  until  now  this  congregation 
has  become  strong  and  efficient. 

THE    BUILDINGS. 

The  first  services  of  the  church  were  held  in  the 
p^rlor  of  Mr.  James  Darrach,  then  the  only  elder. 
Very  soon,  however,  a  room  was  fitted  up  for  divine 
worship  in  the  mill  of  that  gentleman,  and  was  so  used 
for  two  or  three  years.  The  congregation  then  erected 
a  one-story  stone  edifice  which,  covered  with  debt,  be- 
came their  future  home.  After  a  number  of  years,  but 
still  during  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Culver,  this  building 
was  altered  by  the  addition  of  a  second  story  and  other 
important  improvements.  During  the  pastorate  of 
Mr.  Schenck,  in  1869,  a  manse  was  erected  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  church,  on  one  of  the  elevations  of  the 
neighborhood,  from  whicli  there  is  a  magnificent  view 
of  the  valley  of  the  Schuvlkill  and  of  the  surrounding 
hills. 

THE    PASTORS. 

There  have  been  ten  pastors  during  the  fifty-six 
years  of  the  church's  progress — in  the  first  period,  six ; 

22 


338  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

in  the  second,  one ;  and  in  the  third,  three :  namely, 
James  M.  Davis,  1832,  four  years;  Sylvanus  Haight, 
1836,  one  year ;  Charles  Williamson,  1837,  two  years ; 
William  Wright,  1841,  two  years;  David  Longmore 
(stated  supply),  1843,  three  years;  Henry  J.  Van 
Dyke,  D.  D.,  1847,  part  of  a  year;  Andrew  Culver, 
1847,  twenty  years ;  A.  V.  C.  Schenck,  D.  D.,  1868, 
two  years ;  J.  H.  McMonagle,  M.  D.,  1871,  seven 
years;  Charles  E.  Burns,  1878,  the  present  pastor. 

The  pastorate  of  Mr.  Culver  is  worthy  of  honorable 
mention  as  the  longest  which  this  church  has  had  up  to 
the  present  time,  and  as  that  during  which  it  passed 
into  a  state  of  stable  prosperity. 

Dr.  McMonagle  was  installed  October  3,  1871.  His 
health  becoming  impaired,  he  studied  medicine,  and 
devoted  himself  to  its  practice  after  his  resignation  in 
1878. 

Mr.  Burns  was  ordained  and  installed  October  24, 
1878.  During  his  pastorate  the  church  has  made  by 
far  the  most  substantial  progress  of  its  history. 

THE    B.ULING   ELDERS. 

The  complete  list  of  the  elders  of  this  church  from 
the  beginning  contains  fifteen  names:  James  Darrach, 
1832;  William  Marshall,  1833;  James  Auldjoe,  1833; 
Edwin  Booth,  1847  ;  Henry  Keim,  M.  D.,  1847 ;  James 
Doak,  1854 ;  Joseph  Bockius,  1858 ;  James  Milligan, 
1862;  Samuel  C.  Kutherford,  1862;  Jonathan  Stead, 
1862;  William  A.  Bell,  1868;  Caleb  Y.  Davis,  1878; 
Joshua  Batty,  1878;  George  B.  Gallagher,  1886; 
Thomas  L.  Milligan,  1886.  Messrs.  Keim,  M.  D., 
Batty,  Gallagher  and  Milligan  at  present  form  the 
Session  of  this  church. 

Of  the   present   Session   the   eldest   is   Dr.  Henry 


PERIOD  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  339 

Keim.  For  nearly  fifty  years  he  lias  been  foremost 
in  every  good  work,  rarely  absent  from  a  church 
service  or  a  Sessional  meeting. 

ADDITIONAL. 

Few  churches  in  our  connection  oflfered  so  many  of 
her  sons  to  the  country  during  the  war  as  did  that  of 
Manayunk.  Not  far  from  one  hundred  of  her  young 
men  were  in  the  ranks  of  those  that  suffered  and  sacri- 
ficed in  that  conflict. 

What  a  contrast  between  the  present  condition  of 
this  congregation  and  that  of  half  a  century  ago  !  We 
have  seen  what  its  condition  was  during  its  first  fif- 
teen years,  struggling  in  the  midst  of  constant  pastoral 
changes  with  weakness  and  poverty.  During  the  last 
year,  with  its  property  free  from  all  debt,  it  contributed 
over  a  thousand  dollars  to  the  various  Boards  of  the 
Church. 

This  closes  the  record  of  our  old  churches  up  to  the 
time  of  our  reorganization,  under  the  name  of  the 
Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  in  1833.  They 
were  at  that  time  fourteen  in  number;  the  youngest 
of  them  is  now  fifty-six  years  old,  and  the  oldest  one 
hundred  and  seventy-eight. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PERIOD  OF  THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERY,  1833-38. 

In  entering  upon  the  period  of  the  Second  Pres- 
bytery, which,  though  so  short,  was  one  of  great  im- 
portance, we  must  first  notice  the  time  of  our  Presby- 
tery's taking  its  special  form  and  boundaries,  and  the 
events  connected  therewith.  The  time  was  in  the  year 
1833,  forty-five  years  after  the  organization  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly ;  ninety-four  years  after  its  formation  as 
the  leading  portion  of  the  original  Presbytery  of  New 
Brunswick ;  eighty-two  years  after  it  was  organized  as 
the  Presbytery  of  Abington ;  and  seventy-one  years 
after  it  was  constituted  as  the  First  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia.  After  all  these  changes  it  was  reorgan- 
ized with  the  name  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia, 
which  name  was  afterward  changed  to  that  which  it 
now  bears,  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North. 

The  events  connected  with  the  reorganization  as  the 
Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  we  cannot  under- 
stand without  a  brief  review  of  some  of  the  controver- 
sies and  agitations  that  marked  the  separation  of  our 
Church  into  the  Old  and  New  School  sections.  The 
reorganization  was  only  five  years  before  the  disrup- 
tion, and  was  intimately  connected  with  that  event. 

The  excited  discussions  of  that  time  may  appear  to 
us  unnecessary,  but  the  really  great  and  good  men  who 
took  part  in  them  were  honest  and  earnest.  They  be- 
lieved that  they  were  contending  for  the  truth,  and  that 
vital  interests  were  at  stake.     Moreover,  we  are  yet  too 

340 


PERIOD   OF  THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERY.  341 

near  the  time  of  the  controversy  to  judge  of  the  good 
results  that  will  flow  from  it,  even  as  such  results 
flowed  from  the  Old  and  New  Light  divisions. 

The  various  acts  of  the  General  Assembly  and  the 
Synod  pertaining  to  this  point  of  our  history  were 
peculiarly  complicated.  To  disentangle  them  and 
make  them  understood  will  be  a  work  of  difficulty. 
AVe  shall  simply  narrate  the  facts  as  we  find  them  in 
the  records  ;  we  shall  take  the  eight  years,  commencing 
with  1832  and  ending  with  1839,  and  give  the  trans- 
actions concerning  our  Presbytery  in  succession.  It 
is  essential  to  the  understanding  of  them  that  the 
reader  should  keep  clearly  in  mind  the  distinction 
between  the  General  Assembly  and  the  Synod  as  factors 
in  these  events ;  for,  while  in  the  Synod  the  Old  School 
element  always  predominated,  in  the  Assembly,  for  the 
fii-st  three  years,  the  New  School  had  the  leading  influ- 
ence, and  in  the  other  five  years  the  Old  School. 

First  Year,  1832. — In  the  first  of  the  eight  years, 
or  1832,  the  New  School  party  being  in  the  majority 
in  the  Assembly,  opinions  had  become  so  diverse  and 
feeling  so  strong  that  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  form 
a  separate  Presbytery  in  which  those  who  were  of 
similar  views  and  feelings  could  harmonize.  The 
Assembly  therefore  formed  a  Second  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia,  which  was  sometimes  called  the  Assem- 
bly's Second  Presbytery  and  sometimes  the  Elective 
Affinity  Presbytery.  It  was  formed  May  26,  1832; 
and  the  churches  of  which  it  consisted  were  the  First, 
Third,  Fifth,  Eleventh,  Twelfth,  First  Northern  Liber- 
ties, First  Southwark,  Second  African,  and  certain  oth- 
ers in  the  country.  It  was  also  enacted :  "  If  any  of  these 
churches  prefer  to  retain  their  present  connection  with 
the  existing  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  they  may  be 


342  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

allowed  to  do  so,  and  shall  not  be  compelled  against 
their  wish  to  be  attached  to  the  new  Presbytery." 

Second  Year,  1833. — The  Synod,  which  was  Old 
School,  at  its  previous  fall  meeting  had  refused  to  recog- 
nize the  action  of  the  Assembly  creating  the  new 
Presbytery ;  it  denied  the  right  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly to  erect  or  dissolve  Presbyteries,  claiming  that  such 
power  belonged  to  Synods  alone.  On  this  the  Assembly 
of  1833,  having  still  a  New-School  majority,  enjoined 
the  Synod  to  acknowledge  and  receive  the  new  Presby- 
tery. The  Synod,  in  the  autumn  having  received  this 
command,  obeyed  it,  but  under  protest.  It  received  the 
Second  Presbytery,  but  immediately  dissolved  it;  and 
then  proceeded  itself  to  create  a  Second  Presbytery  with 
boundaries,  alleging  that  it  was  its  special  prerogative 
so  to  do. 

The  substance  of  the  ordinance  of  the  Synod  of 
Philadelphia  constituting  its  Second  Presbytery  was  in 
these  words:  1.  Resolved,  ....  The  Synod  do  hereby 
receive  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  as  a 
constituent  member  of  this  body.  2.  Resolved,  That  in 
the  exercise  of  the  right  of  Synod  to  divide  and  unite 
Presbyteries,  this  Synod  do  hereby  unite  the  Second 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  with  the  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia,  and  ordain  the  two  Presbyteries  thus 
united  to  be  known  as  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia. 
3.  Resolved,  That  in  the  exercise  of  the  same  preroga- 
tive the  Synod  do  hereby  divide  the  said  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia  by  the  line  of  Market  street,  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  extending  north  as  may  be  necessary,  and 
west  to  the  Schuylkill,  then  up  the  Schuylkill  to  the 
extremity  of  the  Presbytery ;  and  that  the  ministers 
and  churches  south  of  the  said  line  be  known  as  the 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  and  those  of  the   north 


PERIOD  OF  THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERY.  343 

side  be  known  as  tlie  Second  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia." 

Accordingly,  the  Synod's  Second  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia  met  in  the  Central  church,  Philadelphia, 
November  27,  1833,  and  was  fully  organized,  the  Rev. 
William  Neill,  D.  D.,  being  Moderator,  and  the  Rev. 
John  McDowell,  D.  D.,  stated  clerk.  The  ministerial 
members  present  were  Jacob  Larzalere,  John  McDowell, 
William  Neill,  Alexander  Boyd,  Robert  B.  Belville, 
Robert  Steel,  Charles  "VV.  Nassau,  William  J.  Gibson 
and  Silas  M.  Andrews.  The  ruling  elders  were  Messrs. 
Charles  C.  Beatty,  Robert  Hamill,  Andrew  Brown, 
Charles  Elliott,  George  Durfor,  Matthew  L.  Bevau  and 
George  W.  McClelland. 

Third  Year,  1834. — The  Assembly  again  had  a  New- 
School  majority,  and  refused  to  sanction  the  dissolution 
of  the  Assembly's  Second  Presbytery,  The  result  was 
that  there  were  two  Second  Presbyteries — one  of  the 
Assembly  and  the  other  of  the  Synod.  This  state  of 
things  being  so  incongruous,  the  Assembly,  in  order  to 
relieve  the  difficulty,  organized  a  new  Synod  styled  the 
Synod  of  Delaware,  to  which  it  transferred  its  Second 
Presbytery,  together  with  the  Presbyteries  of  Wil- 
mington and  Lewes. 

Fourth  Year,  1835. — When  the  Assembly  met,  the 
Old-School  party  was  in  the  majority.  It  therefore, 
disapproving  of  the  action  of  the  Assembly  of  the 
previous  year,  dissolved  the  Synod  of  Delaware.  In 
the  autumn  the  Synod  again  dissolved  the  Assembly's 
Second  Presbytery,  which  the  preceding  Assembly  had 
recognized,  and  directed  its  members  to  join  other 
bodies,  without  specifying  with  what  other  bodies  they 
should  connect  themselves. 

Fifth   Year,  183G. — The  Synod  had,  by  ordinance, 


344  PBESBYTEBY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

dissolved  the  Assembly's  Second  Presbytery,  but  as  it 
still  claimed  existence,  the  Assembly,  the  Old-School 
party  having  the  majority,  removed  the  difficulty  finally 
by  two  acts :  first,  by  taking  away  the  Elective  Affinity 
character  of  the  Presbytery,  which  seems  to  have  be- 
come distasteful  to  all,  by  giving  it  fixed  boundaries ; 
and  second,  by  changing  its  name  to  that  of  the  Third 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia. 

Sixth  Year,  1837. — The  action  of  1836,  mentioned 
above,  seems  to  have  been  reviewed  by  the  Assembly 
of  1837,  and  the  Third  Presbytery  was  dissolved — for 
what  reason  does  not  appear,  probably  out  of  the  mere 
intensity  of  party  feeling. 

Seventh  Year,  1838. — The  Assembly  was  so  absorbed 
in  the  controversy  pertaining  to  the  general  division  of 
the  Church  that  it  took  no  action  concerning  the  Third 
Presbytery.  In  the  fall,  however,  the  New-School 
Synod  restored  it  under  the  name  of  the  Third  Presby- 
tery ;  thenceforward  it  continued  under  the  same  name 
until  the  Reunion  of  1871. 

Eighth  Year,  1839. — The  final  action  establishing 
the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  was  that  of  the 
Old-School  Synod,  which  in  October  diminished  our 
territory  by  removing  our  southern  boundary  from 
Market  street,  and  placing  it  so  as  to  give  all  of  what 
was  then  Philadelphia,  together  with  the  Northern 
Liberties,  to  the  First  Presbytery,  and  all  north  of  that 
line  to  the  Second  Presbytery.  This  action  restored  to 
our  Presbytery  its  original  southern  boundary,  and  gave 
to  it  substantially  its  present  limits. 

We  begin  the  history  of  our  Presbytery  as  it  was  then 
reorganized,  and  as  it  has  been  continued,  first  in  the 
Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  and  then  in  the  Pres- 


PERIOD  OF  THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERY.  345 

bytery  of  Philadelj)liia  North,  presenting  a  list  of  all  the 
stated  clerks  who  during  its  fifty-five  years  have  so  faith- 
fully kept  its  records.  V/e  owe  very  much  to  these 
brethren  for  the  unusually  excellent  manner  in  which 
they  have  written  our  history  from  year  to  year.  We 
know  of  no  deliberative  body  that  has  a  history  so  fully 
preserved.  Their  names  and  dates  of  service  are  as  fol- 
lows :  John  McDowell,  D.  D.,  November  27, 1833,  four 
years;  William  J.  Gibson,  October  3,  1837,  one  year; 
William  D.  Howard,  D.  D.,  May  23, 1838,  eleven  years; 
Thomas  B.  Bradford,  April  18,  1849,  one  year ;  Ben- 
jamin F.  Stead,  D.  D.,  March,  1850,  two  years ;  Jacob 
Belville,  D.  D.,  June  1,1852,  fourteen  years;  J.  B. 
Davis,  D.  D.,  October  3,  1866,  three  years ;  Joseph 
Beggs,  D.  D.,  October,  1869,  twenty  years,  the  present 
stated  clerk. 

From  this  list  it  will  be  seen  that  we  have  had  eight 
stated  clerks.  Dr.  Beggs  holding  that  ofiice  for  the  long- 
est period. 

CHRONICLES   OF   THE   CHURCHES. 

During  this  short  period  of  only  five  years,  from ' 
1833  to  1838,  there  was  only  one  new  church  organized 
within  our  bounds,  the  church  of  Bridesburg. 

BRIDESBURG    CHURCH. 

The  church  of  Bridesburg  was  commenced  in  the 
year  1837,  the  first  of  six  churches  which  have  gone 
out  as  colonies  from  the  mother-church  of  Frankford. 
Whatever  missionary  enterprises  may  have  accomplished 
in  modern  times,  this  was,  half  a  century  ago,  a  model 
of  what  such  new  undertakings  should  be.  There  was, 
first,  a  weekly  prayer-meeting  established  years  before ; 
then  a  Sabbath-school  for  some  time ;  then  occasional 


346  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

preaching  by  the  pastor  of  the  mother-church  and 
others  in  school-houses  or  private  dwellings.  Thus  the 
way  was  prepared.  In  these  preparatory  efforts  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Beggs  of  the  Frankford  church  took  the  lead,  its 
Session  aiding  and  its  people  forming  the  body  of  the 
audience.  Meantime,  God  in  his  providence  had  brought 
to  Bridesburg  a  family  ready  to  commence  the  work, 
take  the  lead,  give  it  a  standing  and  assume  the  respon- 
sibility. This  was  the  family  of  Mr.  Alfred  Jenks,  who 
had  established  an  important  manufactory  there  seven 
years  before.  Other  influential  families  and  individuals 
also  were  there,  among  them  Mr.  Herbert  Reynolds, 
able  and  willing  to  aid  by  his  means  and  his  services, 
and  Charles  and  Andrew  Ramsey,  willing  to  under- 
take the  ofl&ce  of  ruling  elder. 

After  a  period  of  such  preparation  the  time  came  for 
the  church  to  be  set  up,  and  accordingly  it  was  formally 
organized  December  8,  1837.  It  consisted  of  twenty- 
one  members.  This  was  fifty-one  years  ago,  and  the 
work  then  commenced  has  held  on  its  course  for  half 
a  century  without  organic  change,  without  serious  in- 
terruption of  any  kind  and  with  the  blessing  of  God 
resting  upon  every  year  of  its  history. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  first  church-edifice,  which  had  been  commenced 
about  a  year  before,  was  finished  and  dedicated  for  divine 
service  December  8,  1837.  The  lot  upon  which  it  was 
built,  together  with  the  adjoining  graveyard,  had  been 
presented  by  Mr.  Jenks.  The  money  which  the  building 
cost  had  been  collected  from  friends  in  every  direction. 
It  was  a  plain  but  substantial  and  comfortable  house, 
and  served  the  purposes  of  the  congregation  for  more 
than  thirty  years. 


PERIOD  OF  THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERY.  347 

The  present  building,  which  is  undoubtedly  the  most 
excellent  structure  of  the  kind  in  the  Twenty-third 
Ward  of  the  city,  was  erected  in  the  year  1868.  It  was 
substantially  the  princely  gift  of  Barton  11.  Jenks,  son 
of  him  who  may  well  be  called  the  church's  father.  The 
whole  cost  of  the  edifice  was  more  than  thirty-five  thou- 
sand dollars,  of  which  Mr.  Jenks  gave  above  thirty-two 
thousand. 

The  very  superior  building  for  Sabbath-school,  lec- 
ture and  prayer-meeting  purposes  was  also  the  gift  of 
Mr.  Barton  Jenks,  he  having  borne  the  entire  expense 
of  seven  thousand  dollars. 

The  manse,  which  adjoins  the  church,  was  purchased 
by  the  congregation  in  the  year  1886  at  the  time  of  the 
installation  of  the  present  pastor. 

THE    PASTORS. 

The  church  in  its  history  of  half  a  century  has  had 
eight  pastors,  as  follows :  John  Mason,  1838,  three 
years ;  Benjamin  F.  Stead,  D.  D,,  ten  years ;  William 
Scribner,  1852,  three  years ;  J.  J.  A.  Morgan,  1855, 
seven  years ;  J.  B.  Davis,  D.  D.,  1862,  seven  years ; 
William  A.  Jenks,  1870,  five  years ;  A.  A.  Dinsmore, 
1875,  twelve  years;  J.  P.  W.  Blattenberger,  1887, 
the  present  pastor. 

Dr.  Stead  was  ordained  and  installed  February  22, 
1842.  He  was  a  pastor  of  superior  ability ;  was  for 
years  stated  clerk  of  the  Presbytery;  and  afterward  be- 
came pastor  of  the  church  of  Astoria,  near  New  York. 

Mr.  Scribner  was  installed  November  9,  1852.  He 
was  brother  to  the  celebrated  New  York  publisher  of 
that  name.  He  resigned  the  pastorate  because  of  failing 
health. 

Mr.  Morgan  was  installed  October  18,  1855.     Some 


348  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

time  after  leaving  Bridesburg  he  connected  himself 
with  the  Episcopal  Church. 

Dr.  Davis  was  installed  March  17,  1862,  He  was  a 
man  of  great  amiability  and  excellence  of  character. 
While  here  he  was  stated  clerk  of  Presbytery,  and 
afterward  held  the  same  office  in  the  Synod  of  New 
Jersey. 

Mr.  Jenks  was  installed  May  5,  1870.  It  is  worthy 
of  special  notice  that  he  was  son  of  Alfred  Jenks,  the 
founder  of  the  church,  and  brother  of  Barton  H.  Jenks, 
elder  at  the  time  of  this  pastorate. 

Mr.  Dinsmore  was  installed  December  29, 1875.  He 
was  a  man  of  deep  piety  and  was  much  beloved.  He 
is  now  pastor  of  an  important  church  in  California. 

Mr.  Blattenberger  was  installed  November  10,  1887, 
and  is  the  present  pastor. 

THE    RULING   ELDEES. 

The  roll  of  elders  from  the  first  is  complete,  and 
has  on  it  the  following  twelve  names :  Alfred  Jenks, 
1837;  Francis  Putt,  1837;  Samuel  D.  Powel,  1837; 
Andrew  Ramsey,  1837 ;  Charles  Ramsey,  1837 ;  Bar- 
ton H.  Jenks,  1855 ;  Andrew  McMillan,  1855 ;  John 
H.  Smith,  1855;  Charles  H.  Biles,  1869;  Matthew 
McBride,  1876;  C.  H.  Lambert,  M.  D.,  1876;  An- 
drew Tannahill,  1884. 

Alfred  Jenks  was  a  man  who  must  ever  hold  the 
most  conspicuous  place  in  the  history  of  this  church. 
His  coming  to  the  neighborhood  and  establishing  his 
manufactory  there  in  1830  was  what  first  gave  import- 
ance to  Bridesburg.  His  ancestry  was  of  the  old-fash- 
ioned sound  Calvinistic,  New  England  people.  In  his 
family  was  illustrated  again  how  the  blessing  of  God 
rests  upon  households,  for  his  parents  were  godly  peo- 


PERIOD  OF  THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERY.  349 

pie ;  his  wife  was  daughter  of  a  New  England  pastor, 
who  was  also  a  professor  in  Harvard  College  while  that 
great  institution  was  true  to  the  faith;  his  daughter  was 
wife  of  the  church's  second  pastor ;  one  of  his  sons  was 
its  seventh  pastor,  and  another  son  was  an  elder,  and 
for  a  long  time  superintendent  of  its  Sabbath-school. 
Previous  to  the  organization  of  this  congregation,  he 
was  an  elder  in  the  old  church  of  Frankford.  In  the 
commencement  of  this  church  his  devotedness  to  the 
cause  was  best  seen.  It  was  very  dear  to  him,  and  he 
was  steadfast  and  ready  to  lend  every  aid,  opening  his 
house  for  prayer-meeting  every  Saturday  night,  sending 
for  and  entertaining  the  preachers,  giving  ground  for 
the  church-edifice  and  graveyard,  contributing  largely 
for  the  erection  of  the  first  building,  superintendent  of 
the  Sabbath-school  for  twenty-four  years,  and  ever  fore- 
most in  every  good  word  and  work.  In  all  tliese  he 
was  nobly  sustained  by  his  devoted  wife,  who  continued 
one  of  the  most  active  teachers  of  the  Sabbath-school 
until  she  had  reached  the  age  of  fourscore.  We  might 
also  speak  of  his  son  Barton  as  an  elder,  whose  mag- 
nificent gifts  to  this  church,  as  well  as  other  objects  of 
benevolence,  can  never  be  forgotten. 

Of  another  of  these  elders  we  must  make  special 
mention — viz.  Charles  Ramsey.  He  entered  that  oflSce 
when  the  church  was  organized,  and  though  fifty-one 
years  have  passed  he  holds  the  oflfice  still.  Ever  true 
to  the  highest  interests  of  the  church,  ever  present  at 
its  services,  ever  ready  to  help  it  forward,  his  has  been 
the  rare  privilege  of  being  spared  to  serve  his  Master  in 
this  church  for  half  a  century. 

The  Bridesburg  church  has  always  been  distin- 
guished for  the  excellence  of  its  Sabbath-school.  This 
has  been  largely  owing  to  the  care  devoted  to  it  by  the 


350  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Messrs.  Jenks,  father  and  son,  the  latter  of  whom,  for 
the  many  years  that  he  was  its  superintendent,  devoted 
to  the  study  of  its  lessons  nearly  every  evening  of  the 
week. 

This  church  during  its  whole  history  has  been 
blessed  in  an  unusual  degree  by  seasons  of  revival,  by 
which  it  has  been,  from  time  to  time,  greatly  strength- 
ened. The  church  began  in  the  troublous  times  when 
our  Zion  was  sorely  agitated  by  the  controversies  con- 
nected with  the  Old  and  New  School  division  ;  it  had 
its  own  troubles  from  the  same  cause,  but  it  came  out 
of  them  unharmed,  and  has  now  held  on  its  steady 
course  for  half  a  century. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PERIOD   OF  SEPARA  TION,   1838-1870. 

We  now  enter  upon  a  new  and  important  period  of 
our  history.  It  is  the  period  between  the  division  of 
our  one  Presbyterian  Cliurch  into  the  New  and  Old 
School  sections,  in  1838,  and  their  Reunion  in  1870.  It 
was  the  period  when,  separated  into  two  independent 
denominations,  we  worked  on  apart ;  but  at  the  same 
time  it  was  a  period  of  progress — with  us,  as  a  Presby- 
tery, one  of  rapid  growth,  in  which  together  we  found- 
ed no  less  than  twenty-one  new  churches — an  average 
of  two  every  three  years. 

To  obtain  a  distinct  impression  of  the  character  of 
the  Presbytery  during  this  period  three  things  must  be 
understood  at  the  outset — namely,  first,  the  identity  of 
the  Presbytery  with  the  one  which  preceded  it  and 
that  which  followed  it ;  secondly,  that  the  churches  in 
the  territory  were  fully  separated  into  two  bodies ;  and, 
thirdly,  the  relative  strength  of  these  bodies. 

(1)  As  to  the  first  of  these  points,  our  territory  was 
then  well  defined.  When  the  Second  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia  was  erected,  in  1833,  it  included  the  rural 
portion  which  the  Presbytery  North  now  substantially 
includes,  together  with  that  part  of  the  city  which  lies 
north  of  Market  street.  In  1839,  however,  or  the 
year  before  this  period  commences,  the  territory  was 
curtailed  by  setting  off  that  portion  of  it  which  lay 
within  the  old  city  limits  to  the  First  Presbytery. 
This  left  our  limits  at  that  time  precisely  what  they 

361 


352  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

now  are.  Moreover,  these  limits  embrace  the  territory 
which  has  perpetuated  our  identity  as  a  Presbytery. 
It  was  the  district  of  the  influential  portion  of  the 
original  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Abington,  of  the  original  First  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia,  of  our  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia, 
and  it  is  the  territory  of  Philadelphia  North  to-day. 
There  have  been  transition  periods  in  the  stream  of  the 
history  of  our  body,  when  again  and  again  it  was  ab- 
sorbed in  the  general  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  from 
three  to  over  thirty  years  at  a  time,  but  the  identity,  as 
defined  by  the  territory,  has  ever  sprung  up  again 
without  material  change.  It  always  has  been  substan- 
tially the  same,  as  the  chief  part  of  the  old  Presbytery 
of  New  Brunswick,  as  Abington,  as  the  elder  First 
Presbytery  of  Pliiladelphia,  as  the  Second  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia,  as  Philadelphia  North. 

(2)  At  the  beginning  of  the  period,  and  throughout 
its  course,  the  Presbytery  was  no  longer  one  body. 
Previously,  all  the  churches  had  been  united.  All  the 
plans  and  acts  of  the  Presbytery  were  those  of  the 
whole  body  of  Presbyterians  within  the  defined  terri- 
tory. Now,  however,  together  with  the  whole  Pres- 
byterian Church,  it  had  become  two  distinct  bodies — 
bodies  of  very  unequal  magnitude,  but  still  distinct. 
The  larger  of  these,  the  Old  School,  retairied  the 
succession,  and  was  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia; the  smaller  united  with  the  Third  and  Fourth 
Presbyteries  of  Philadelphia,  which  were  New  School. 

(3)  Moreover,  at  the  opening  of  the  period,  the  Old 
School  portion  consisted  of  thii'teen  churches,  while  the 
New  School  portion  had  only  three  within  the  same 
territory.  Then  during  the  course  of  the  period  there 
were   seventeen  Old-School    churches   organized,   and 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  353 

four  New  School.  Add  to  this  that  in  order  to  bring 
Lafayette  College  within  the  bounds  of  the  Synod  of 
Pliiladel})hia  the  three  churches  of  Easton,  Allen  town- 
ship* and  Catasauqua  were  transferred  to  our  connec- 
tion, and  remained  with  us  for  twenty  years,  and  then 
we  have  the  totals  during  the  jDeriod  of  thirty-three  Old- 
School  churches  and  seven  New-School,  or  forty  in  all. 

This  analysis  of  the  composition  of  the  Presbytery 
during  the  period  is  necessary  to  the  full  understand- 
ing of  the  history ;  but,  having  presented  tlie  analysis, 
we  have  now  done  with  the  Old  and  New-School  par- 
ties. As  we  are  writing  the  history  of  Presbyterian  ism 
in  our  territory,  we  shall  henceforth  treat  the  two  ele- 
ments promiscuously  in  our  chronology  of  the  churches. 
Whatever  they  may  have  been  in  their  origin,  they  now 
belong  to  one  body.  Save  for  simple  information  we 
shall  not  need  to  name  the  Schools  in  the  future. 

As  there  were  no  organic  changes  in  the  Presbytery, 
nor  any  general  movements  of  special  importance  during 
this  period,  our  work  will  hereafter  be  chiefly  with  the 
history  of  the  individual  churches.  We  are  entering 
the  age  of  progress,  and  shall  find  that  new  congrega- 
tions increase  very  rapidly ;  and  the  history  of  them 
separately  is  nearly  all  that  we  shall  attempt.  In  order 
to  fix  them  in  their  proper  places  and  make  our  enumer- 
ation of  them  the  more  distinct,  we  shall  classify  them  in 
decades,  and  so  mark  the  origin  of  each  the  more 
clearly.  Of  course  the  period  divides  itself  into  three 
such  decades— namely,  1841-50, 1851-60  and  1861-70 
— and  we  shall  consider  them  in  that  order. 

FIRST  DECADE,  1841  to  1850. 

During  this  decade  there  were  eight  new  churches 
organized,  as  follows:    Jefifersonville,  1843;  Port  Ken- 

23 


354  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

nedy,  1844;  Bristol,  1845;  Port  Riclimond,  1846; 
Conshohocken,  1847 ;  Pottstown,  1848  ;  Forrestville, 
1849;  and  Norristown  Second,  1850. 

JEFFEESONVILLE   CHURCH. 

The  church  of  Jeffersonville  was  commenced  in  the 
year  1843  and  had  its  origin  in  distractions  which 
arose  in  the  neighboring  church  of  Providence  concern- 
ing the  Old  and  New  School  disruption.  The  heat  of 
that  controversy,  which  had  culminated  but  five  years 
before,  was  yet  very  great,  and  affected  this  region  in  a 
high  degree.  An  extract  from  the  records  of  the 
church  will  give  all  that  our  history  needs:  "After  a 
long  series  of  dissensions  and  distractions  the  church  of 
Providence  was  divided,  one  part  known  as  the  Old 
School,  the  other  the  New  School;  and  in  October, 
1843,  each  congregation  worshiped  separately,  the  Old 
School  retaining  the  church-building  and  property  inci- 
dent thereto,  holding  their  connection  with  the  Second 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  New  School  with 
the  Third  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia."  The  new 
organization  must  have  been  very  small  and  weak,  and 
must  have  continued  so ;  for  when  Dr.  Collins  com- 
menced his  ministry  there,  twenty-three  years  after- 
ward, the  property  was  encumbered  with  debt  and 
there  were  only  thirty-three  church-members.  It  was 
not  until  four  years  after  the  enterprise  commenced  that 
a  charter  was  obtained  and  the  name  of  Jeffersonville 
Presbyterian  church  adopted.  From  that  time  onward 
it  has  been  struggling  in  weakness,  and  yet  in  hope  and 
faith. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  first  church-edifice  was  dedicated  to  the  service 
of  God  October  10,  1844,  the  year  after  the  organiza- 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  355 

tion.  The  Rev.  Joel  Parker,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Daniel  H. 
Emerson,  and  R^ev.  C.  F.  Diver  officiated  on  the  occa- 
sion. The  house  was  a  plain  strong  building,  fifty-four 
by  thirty-six  feet  in  size. 

After  this  first  building  had  stood  about  thirty-two 
years  it  had  become  so  unattractive  and  uncomfortable 
that  a  new  edifice  became  a  necessity  for  the  continued 
life  of  the  church.  Accordingly,  by  the  most  strenu- 
ous efforts  of  the  people,  and  especially  of  Dr.  Collins, 
then  the  pastor,  a  new  one  was  built,  and  was  dedicated 
October  1, 1876.  This  second  edifice,  which  is  the  pres- 
ent one,  is  an  ornament  to  the  surrounding  country, 
over  which  it  can  be  seen  far  and  near.  Its  whole  cost 
was  about  twenty-eight  thousand  dollars. 

THE   PASTORS. 

Of  these,  the  church  has  had  the  seven  following : 
C.  F.  Diver,  1844,  two  years ;  George  Foot,  1851,  two 
years;  William  Fulton  (stated  supply),  1853,  two 
years ;  Samuel  Helffenstein,  Jr.,  1855,  two  years ;  A. 
J.  Snyder  (stated  supply),  1858,  eight  years;  Charles 
Collins,  D.  D.,  1866,  twenty  years ;  W.  C.  Hendrick- 
son,  1886,  the  present  pastor. 

During  the  intervals  between  the  short  pastorates 
the  pulpit  was  filled  by  various  supplies,  either  for  a 
single  Sabbath  or  for  a  month  or  two.  Among  such 
temporary  supplies  we  find  the  names  of  Messrs.  Aller^ 
Ottanger,  Cross  and  others. 

Mr.  Diver  was  ordained  and  installed  October  22, 
1844,  by  the  Third  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  (X.  S.). 

Dr.  Collins,  after  serving  for  ten  years  as  stated  sup- 
ply, was  installed  pastor  January  2,  1876.  His  minis- 
try of  almost  a  score  of  years  in  the  church  was  not 
only  longer  than  any  other,  but  longer  than  all  of  the 


356  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

others  together.  Within  it  most  of  the  best  days  of 
the  church  were  contained.  The  pastor's  self-denying 
labors  were  unremitting  through  heat  and  cold  and 
discouragements  of  every  kind,  and  without  other  in- 
centive than  love  to  the  cause  and  its  Master.  And 
they  were  crowned  with  abundant  success,  for  the 
church,  which  at  the  beginning  of  his  pastorate  was 
almost  ready  to  be  abandoned,  with  a  discouraged  mem- 
bership of  about  two  dozen  persons  and  a  building  not 
worth  a  thousand  dollars,  was  through  his  efforts  awak- 
ened to  new  life — blessed  revivals  strengthened  it,  the 
new  edifice  was  erected  and  freed  from  debt,  and  the 
number  of  communicants  greatly  increased. 

Mr.  Hendrickson  was  installed  December  14,  1886. 
He  has  been  the  pastor  for  two  years. 

RULING    ELDERS. 

Of  these  we  have  the  full  roll.  Six  of  them  have 
passed  away  from  their  earthly  labor — namely,  Joseph 
Janey,  James  S.  Smith,  Henry  Countiss,  Henry  Loucks, 
Christian  Weber,  David  Shrack,  M.  D.  Three  more 
are  still  at  their  post  of  duty — namely,  Francis  Whiting, 
Michael  H.  Reed,  John  C.  Weber. 

Francis  Whiting  removed  to  Jefferson ville,  Pa.,  in 
the  spring  of  1865  from  Great  Barrington,  Mass.  He  is 
a  lineal  descendant  of  the  renowned  Governor  Bradford 
of  early  colonial  times. 

Mr.  Whiting  was  graduated  from  Yale  College,  and 
afterward  studied  law,  but  preferred  and  chose  an  agri- 
cultural life.  In  1841  he  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet 
W,  Curtis  of  Columbia  co.,  N.  Y.  In  1866  he  united 
with  this  church,  and  was  soon  after  elected  a  ruling 
elder,  and  during  the  twenty  years'  pastorate  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Collins  he  was  his  most  faithful  and  efficient 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  357 

helper.  He  was  born  in  Berkshire  co.,  Mass.,  March 
27, 1808,  and  at  this  writing  is  enjoying  a  fair  measure 
of  health,  having  entered  his  eighty-second  year. 

One  act  of  this  church  we  cannot  but  greatly  regret. 
It  was  that  by  which,  through  legal  ratificatioM  in  1875, 
its  name  was  changed  from  the  old  and  proper  one  of 
Jeffersonville  to  that  of  Centennial.  Thus  the  his- 
torical identity  of  the  church  was  broken,  the  de- 
scriptive title  was  taken  away  and  a  name  far  less 
attractive  was  assumed.  If  we  had  the  ear  of  the 
people,  we  would  urge  that  the  old  name  be  restored. 

This  church,  possessing  a  history  of  forty-four  years, 
with  a  property  free  from  all  encumbrances  and  all  its 
agencies  in  good  working  order,  may  look  with  confi- 
dence to  a  hopeful  future. 

PORT    KENNEDY    CHURCH. 

Port  Kennedy  lies  on  the  west  of  the  Schuylkill 
River,  about  three  or  four  miles  from  the  united  charge 
of  the  Norriton  and  Providence  churches,  while  toward 
the  west  it  is  about  the  same  distance  from  the  Great 
Valley  church.  In  the  year  1844  a  few  families  of 
the  last-mentioned  church  residing  in  Port  Kennedy 
petitioned  Presbytery  to  organize  them  into  a  new 
congregation.  The  petition  was  granted,  and  for  that 
purpose  a  committee  was  appointed  which  met  with  the 
people  March  20,  1845,  and  organized  a  church  con- 
sisting of  but  thi'ee  members  !  Such  is  the  simple  story 
of  the  beginning  of  this  church,  which  has  now  been 
in  existence  for  forty-three  years. 

THE   BUILDING. 

The  first  and  only  church-edifice,  being  the  one  which 
is  still  in  use,  was  built  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1844. 


358  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 


THE    PASTOES. 

The  church,  though  small  and  weak  from  the  begin- 
ning, has  had  an  almost  unbroken  succession  of  pastors, 
who  have  been  five  in  number :  Henry  S.  Rodenbaugh, 
1846,  twenty-six  years ;  Charles  T.  Anderson,  1873,  one 
year;  E.  P.  Hawes,  1874,  two  years;  Yates  Hickey,  1878, 
two  years ;  Belville  Roberts,  1880,  the  present  pastor. 

Mr.  Rodenbaugh  was  ordained  and  installed  May 
14,  1846.  His  pastorate,  which  covered  more  than 
half  of  the  church's  life,  was  the  palmy  period  of  its 
history.  Although  at  the  same  time  constituted  pastor 
of  the  two  old  and  important  churches  of  Norriton  and 
Providence,  he  was  willing  to  assume  this  charge  also ; 
nor  did  he  slight  its  work,  but  for  over  a  quarter  of 
a  century  ministered  in  it  with  great  energy  and  suc- 
cess, building  up  also  the  old  churches,  so  that  to-day 
they  are  stronger  than  ever.  This  is  an  instructive  ex- 
ample to  our  Presbytery  of  what  may  be  done  by  the 
judicious  grouping  of  neighboring  churches. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  ordained  and  installed  May  8, 
1873. 

Mr.  Hawes  was  ordained  and  installed  October  15, 
1874. 

Mr.  Hickey  was  installed  October  13,  1878.  He  is 
now  pastor  of  the  church  of  Torresdale. 

Mr.  Roberts,  after  having  served  as  stated  supply  for 
eight  years,  was  installed  pastor  during  the  present  year, 
and  is  working  most  faithfully. 

THE    EULING   ELDEES. 

Of  these  the  church  has  had  but  four — namely, William 
Henry,  1846 ;  George  Hart,  1850  ;  James  McPherson, 
1855 ;  Joseph  B.  Powel,  1859. 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  359 

Mr.  Powel  has  been  the  only  acting  elder  for  twenty 
years,  and  nobly  does  he  strive  to  sustain  the  feeble 
congregation. 

Although  this  church  was  commenced  forty-three 
years  ago,  it  is  still  small  and  weak,  its  membership 
probably  being  no  greater  now  than  it  was  at  the  begin- 
ning. This  has  been  owing  chiefly  to  the  removals  of  its 
families  to  other  parts  of  the  land.  A  large  colony  and 
flourishing  church  exist  in  Kansas  which  are  made  up 
almost  entirely  of  families  that  went  from  this  neigh- 
borhood. 

Still,  there  are  now  prospects  of  future  growth  ;  es- 
pecially has  the  Sabbath-school  been  greatly  encouraged 
by  large  increase  and  improvement.  The  advance  in  the 
contributions  of  the  church  to  objects  of  benevolence  is 
also  awakening  hope,  as  within  a  short  time  they  have 
become  more  than  double  what  they  were  in  former  years. 

BRISTOL    CHURCH. 

The  career  of  the  church  of  Bristol  has  been  one  of 
such  exceptionally  steady  progress  that  there  is  little 
more  for  the  writer  to  do  than  to  note  the  various  salient 
points  of  its  history.  There  have  been  no  strifes,  no 
convulsions,  no  organic  changes,  marking  the  twoscore 
years  of  its  life. 

This  church  owes  its  origin  to  the  energy  and  self- 
denying  efibrts  of  the  Rev.  James  M.  Harlow,  who 
came  from  Centreville  to  Bristol,  and  tooved  in  the 
matter  of  its  organization,  and  especially  in  the  work 
of  the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship,  as  early  as  the 
spring  of  1844.  At  the  time  of  the  organization,  Octo- 
ber 17, 1845,  the  membership  consisted  of  only  fourteen 
pei'sons,  of  whom  Mrs.  Mary  Pierce — then  Mary  Van- 
uxem — is  now  the  only  survivor. 


360  PRESBYTERY  OF  TEE  LOG  COLLEGE. 


THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  present  church-edifice  is  the  one  which  was 
erected  in  1844.  It  was  built  chiefly  through  the  un- 
tiring efforts  of  Mr.  Harlow.  He  seems  to  have  secured 
subscriptions  from  every  quarter  where  he  could  make 
appeal — churches,  ministers  and  private  individuals  lis- 
tening favorably  to  his  plans. 

In  the  year  1872,  twenty-seven  years  after  its  erec- 
tion, the  church-building  was  enlarged  and  refurnished 
at  a  cost  of  forty-four  hundred  dollars.  It  has  now 
capacity  for  seating  four  hundred  persons.  The  congre- 
gation also  owns  a  large  and  well-arranged  manse,  con- 
veniently near  the  church. 

THE    PASTOES. 

Of  faithful  pastors  the  church  has  had  seven :  James 
M.  Harlow,  1845,  five  years;  Franklin  D.  Harris,  1851, 
ten  years ;  Alfred  Taylor,  1862,  two  years ;  Henry  F. 
Lee,  1865,  three  years ;  Jacob  Weidman,  1868,  five 
years ;  James  H.  Mason  Knox,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  1873, 
eleven  years ;  Edward  P.  Shields,  D.  D.,  1884,  the 
present  pastor. 

Mr.  Harlow  commenced  his  ministry  here  with  the 
organization  of  the  church,  and  to  him  under  God  it 
is  indebted  for  its  very  being. 

Mr.  Harris  was  installed  May  8,  1851.  His  preach- 
ing was  eminently  sound  and  instructive  as  well  as 
earnest. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  installed  July  31,  1862. 

Mr.  Lee  was  installed  November  7,  1865. 

Mr.  Weidman  was  installed  November  18,  1868. 

Dr.  Knox  was  installed  October  30,  1873.  Of  him 
we  have  already  spoken  in  our  sketch  of  the  First 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  361 

church  of  Germantown.  His  services  to  this  church 
were  specially  valuable,  among  other  things  in  that  he 
stimulated  it  to  a  very  high  degree  of  liberality.  He 
resigned  this  charge  in  compliance  with  a  call  to  be- 
come president  of  Lafayette  College. 

Dr.  Shields  was  installed  May  1,  1884.  Under  his 
wise,  devoted  and  efficient  ministry  the  church  still  pur- 
sues its  upward  and  onward  course. 

All  the  seven  pastors  of  this  church  are  still  living 
and  actively  engaged  in  useful  service  for  the  Master 
in  some  branch  of  Christian  work. 

THE   RULING    ELDERS. 

For  no  less  than  sixteen  years  after  its  founding  this 
church  was  in  the  anomalous  position  of  having  in  it  no 
ruling  elder.  Presbytery  met  the  difficulty  in  part  by 
appointing  Mr.  Charles  Bradfiold,  ruling  elder  of  another 
church,  to  aid  the  pastor  of  Bristol  in  receiving  new 
members  and  in  administering  the  Lord's  Supper.  This 
was  the  situation  of  the  church  until  1861,  after  which 
time  the  following  brethren  held  in  it  the  office  of  elder: 
Silas  E.  Weir,  18G1 ;  Peter  E.  Hope,  1870;  James 
Noble  Dickey,  1878 ;  John  Hope,  1878 ;  Alexander 
Ralph,  1880;  Foster  P.  Crichton,  1888;  Willis  P. 
Weaver,  1888.  Messrs.  Ralph,  Crichton  and  Weaver 
are,  with  the  pastor,  the  present  Session. 

The  work  of  twoscore  and  three  years  shows  steady 
growth  in  the  various  elements  of  true  cliurch  organi- 
zation. The  membership,  originally  but  fourteen,  is 
now  not  far  from  two  hundred.  With  the  growth  of 
Bristol  there  are  many  reasons  for  the  confidence  that 
this  church,  distinguished  for  its  harmony  and  energy 
and  devotion  to  good  works,  will  advance  to  greater 
strength  and  usefulness. 


362  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 


PORT    RICHMOND    CHURCH. 

The  church  of  Port  Richmond — now  of  the  Central 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia — was  organized  February 
5,  1846,  by  a  committee  of  this  Presbytery.  The 
reason  of  its  connection  with  us  was  that  the  Presby- 
terian families  of  that  vicinity,  which  was  then  far 
outside  of  the  city,  originally  worshiped  with  the 
church  of  Frankford,  and  afterward  with  that  of 
Bridesburg.  The  place  was  therefore  naturally  con- 
sidered as  within  our  bounds. 

For  a  few  months  after  its  organization  the  new 
church  was  ministered  to  by  Mr.  Oakley.  Meantime, 
its  first  and  only  house  of  worship  was  built.  In  a  lit- 
tle over  a  year  the  Rev.  Samuel  D.  Alexander,  D.  D., 
was  called  to  the  pastoral  charge.  He  was  ordained 
and  installed  November  16,  1847.  He  was  a  son  of 
the  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander,  D.  D.,  of  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary ;  and  that  fact,  together  with  the 
expected  importance  of  Port  Richmond,  gave  the  event 
of  his  settlement  great  prominence.  Mr.  Alexander, 
however,  remained  only  two  years.  He  was  succeeded 
in  the  charge  by  the  Rev.  William  Dod,  brother  of  the 
celebrated  mathematical  professor  of  Princeton  College. 
He  also  remained  but  a  short  time.  The  church  then 
passed  over  to  the  First  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia, 
to  which  it  naturally  belonged.  It  is  now,  after  a 
period  of  more  than  forty  years,  one  of  the  churches  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  Central. 

THE   CHURCH   OF   CONSHOHOCKEN. 

The  church  of  Conshohocken  owes  its  origin  to  the 
establishing  of  the  Conshohocken  iron-foundry,  of  which 
Mr.  Stephen  Colwell  was  the  chief  proprietor  and  man- 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  363 

ager,  and  of  the  marble-mills  of  the  Jacoby  family. 
The  church  enterprise  was  commenced  in  1847,  when 
the  Rev.  David  Eakins  preached  for  a  short  time  in  a 
small  frame  temperance  hall.  The  church  was  organ- 
ized November  16,  1847,  with  a  membership  of  eighteen 
persons. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Colwell  applied  to  Princeton  Sem- 
inary for  one  of  the  graduates  to  enter  the  field  as  a 
missionary ;  and  the  writer  was  sent,  and  spent  a  few 
months  in  the  field  previous  to  his  ordination  in  some 
permanent  charge.  The  work  was  one  of  great  diffi- 
culty and  many  discouragements.  During  the  Sabbath- 
school  exercises  boys  would  run  out  and  throw  stones 
at  their  teachers  through  the  open  windows.  On  hear- 
ing the  sound  of  in-coming  trains  persons  in  the  con- 
gregation would  go  out  to  see  the  arrivals,  and  then 
return  to  their  seats.  A  woman  on  whom  the  young 
preacher  was  calling  told  him  that  she  had  not  heard  a 
sermon  nor  seen  a  Bible  in  three  years,  though  a  church- 
member  before  coming  to  this  country.  The  neighbor- 
hood was  as  thoroughly  heathen  as  one  could  find. 
There  was  also  opposition  from  unexpected  quarters. 
Another  denomination,  failing  to  oust  the  Presbyterians 
from  the  hall,  established  rival  open-air  services  at  the 
door  of  the  building,  and  that  at  the  same  hour  with 
the  worship  of  those  who  were  honestly  striving  to  found 
an  evangelical  church. 

But  the  work  went  on  and  prospered  amid  all  trials. 
Another  preaching-service  was  established  at  the  neigh- 
boring village  of  Spring  Mill,  with  an  audience  of  some- 
times not  more  than  six  persons.  A  house  of  worship 
was  built.  The  inexperienced  preacher,  fresh  from  the 
seminary,  was  encouraged  by  Dr.  Ralston  of  Oakland 
Female  Institute.     He  was  also  greatly  helped  by  Mr. 


364  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Colwell  and  his  excellent  family  and  by  the  family 
of  Mrs.  Jacoby.  He  was  also  encouraged  by  many 
Roman  Catholics  of  the  place,  who  would  come  to  him 
respectfully  with  their  troubles,  and  upon  whom  he  was 
exerting  considerable  influence  until  a  neighboring  priest 
interfered.  The  result  of  all  the  work  was  that  a  fair- 
sized  congregation  was  collected,  a  Sabbath-school  was 
gathered,  a  house  of  worship  was  built  and  in  due  time 
another  preaching-place  was  established.  The  work 
has  gone  on  and  the  church  has  pursued  a  prosperous 
course  for  twoscore  years. 

THE   BUILDINGS, 

The  first  house  in  which  the  services  of  the  congre- 
gation were  held  was  a  small  one-story  frame  hall 
which  had  been  erected  by  the  Sons  of  Temperance. 
After  it  came  the  plain  stone  structure  which  is  still 
the  house  of  worship,  and  which  was  built  in  1848. 
The  writer  collected  from  every  quarter  most  of  the 
funds  which  were  needed.  The  whole  cost  was  a  little 
over  two  thousand  dollars,  which,  though  a  small  sum 
for  such  a  purpose,  was  gathered  with  long-continued 
and  anxious  effort.  The  building  was  of  course  very 
plain  and  unpretending.  Twenty-four  years  afterward, 
in  1872,  this  building  was  repaired,  improved  and  en- 
larged to  its  present  dimensions.  Another  house  should 
be  erected  very  soon — one  much  more  attractive  and 
capacious  and  in  a  better  location  than  the  one  now  in 
use.  We  are  glad  to  know  that  efforts  in  that  direction 
are  in  progress :  a  new  lot  of  ground  has  been  secured 
and  funds  are  being  collected. 

THE   PASTOES. 

The  church  has  enjoyed  the  services  of  eight  pastors, 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  365 

as  follows :  Samuel  Paul,  1850,  two  years ;  James  Mar- 
tin, 1853,  one  year ;  Joseph  Nesbit,  D.  D.,  1855,  five 
years;  James  Laverty,  1861,  two  years;  Henry  B. 
Towsend,  18G8,  four  years ;  J.  H.  Symnies,  1867,  seven 
years ;  W.  Fulton,  1875,  ten  years ;  Alexander  Wad- 
dell,  1888,  the  present  pastor. 

Mr.  Paul  was  installed  October  21,  1850.  He  was 
at  the  same  time  pastor  of  the  Second  church  of  Nor- 
rlstown. 

Dr.  Nesbit  was  installed  May  17,  1855.  He  also 
had  charge  of  the  Second  church  of  Norristown  at  the 
same  time  with  this.  He  is  now  in  the  church  of 
Lock  Haven. 

Mr.  Towsend  was  installed  May  5,  1863. 

Mr.  Symmes  was  installed  November  12,  1867. 

Mr.  Fulton  was  installed  in  October,  1875. 

Mr.  Waddell  was  ordained  and  installed  February 
13,  1888. 

THE   RULING   ELDERS. 

During  the  forty  years  of  the  life  of  this  church 
there  have  been  nine  of  these  brethren :  Moses  Wool- 
verton,  1847 ;  William  Moore,  1849 ;  L.  M.  Streeper, 
1867 ;  William  Dunlap,  1867 ;  Walter  F.  Fahustock, 
1872 ;  Harvey  K.  Kroh,  1886 ;  George  Ewiug,  1886 ; 
Prof  J.  W.  Schlichter,  1887  ;  H.  D.  Preudaville,  1887. 
The  last  five  of  these  are  now  acting. 

This  church  was  blessed  with  a  very  powerful  revival 
of  God's  work  in  1876  under  the  pastorate  of  Mr.« Ful- 
ton. No  less  than  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  persons 
were  added  to  the  number  of  its  communicants  as  the 
result  of  that  awakening.  A  very  different  prospect 
lies  before  the  church  this  day  from  that  which  was 
beheld  forty  years  ago. 


366  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 


THE   CHUECH   OF    POTTSTOWN. 

The  beginning  of  the  church  of  Pottstown,  a  place 
where  the  Lutheran  and  German  Reformed  churches 
had  formerly  absorbed  nearly  the  whole  population, 
was  of  very  special  interest.  Several  things  awakened 
attention  to  it  as  a  location  for  a  Presbyterian  church, 
and  led  finally  to  the  organization  of  one  there.  The 
first  was  the  return  of  the  Hon.  Jacob  Yost  from  Wash- 
ington, where  he  had  been  as  a  member  of  Congress 
for  a  number  of  years,  bringing  with  him  a  bride  who 
had  been  Miss  Harrington  of  Troy,  New  York,  and  who 
had  been  thoroughly  trained  in  the  Presbyterian  faith 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Beman.  She  wondered  how  she  could 
live  in  Pottstown,  a  place  where  there  was  no  Presby- 
terian church.  Her  words  were  communicated  to  Dr. 
Gray  of  Easton.  By  him  they  were  repeated  to  the 
Rev.  W.  R.  Work,  who  had  just  left  the  college  of 
Newark,  Delaware ;  the  results  were  deeply  momentous. 
Mr.  Work  was  prompted  by  the  remark  to  establish  a 
female  seminary  in  Pottstown,  and  of  course  cast  about 
for  a  Presbyterian  church.  The  Rev.  Matthew  Meigs, 
D,  D.,  LL.D.,  about  the  same  time  came  to  Pottstown 
accompanied  by  his  noble  wife  and  her  godly  father, 
the  Rev.  W.  R.  Gould,  and  commenced  what  is  now  the 
well-established  and  influential  "  Hill  Seminary "  for 
boys  and  young  men.  With  such  a  simultaneous  influx 
of  the  very  best  material  for  the  purpose,  a  Presbyte- 
rian 'church  could  not  but  arise.  In  1847,  Mr.  Work 
began  to  preach  on  Sabbath  afternoons  in  the  Methodist 
church,  which  was  kindly  offered  for  the  purpose. 

The  church  was  organized  May  9,  1848,  by  a  com- 
mittee of  Presbytery  consisting  of  Rev.  Messrs.  How- 
ard and  Rodenbaugh  and  Elder  Shearer.      The  num- 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  367 

ber  of  members  enrolled  at  the  beginning  was  ten,  with 
Hon.  Jacob  Yost  as  elder. 

THE    BUILDINGS. 

For  a  time,  as  we  have  stated,  the  services  of  the 
infant  congregation  were  held  in  the  Methodist  church. 
But  a  house  of  worship  was  indispensable,  and  the  per- 
sons to  aid  in  the  erection  of  one  were  very  few.  Nev- 
ertheless, an  edifice  was  commenced  in  1848,  in  wliich, 
though  it  was  only  partially  finished,  services  began  to  be 
held  in  1850.  This  structure  was  completed  and  dedi- 
cated in  1853.  The  entire  expenses  were  borne  tempo- 
rarily by  Mr.  Yost  and  Mr.  AVork,  while  they  collected 
the  funds  from  every  quarter — Mr.  Yost,  from  friends 
in  Washington,  amongst  whom  was  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  from  friends  in  other  localities;  and 
]\Ir.  "Work  from  the  churches  of  the  Presbytery.  A 
chapel,  which  it  is  expected  will  grow  into  a  much 
larger  and  more  attractive  house  of  worslnp  than  the  one 
now  occupied,  has  been  erected  during  the  past  year. 

THE    PASTORS. 

Seven  brethren  have  faithfully  ministered  to  the 
church  whose  names  are — William  R.  Work,  1848, 
five  years ;  Robert  Cruikshank,  D,  D.,  1857,  three 
years;  Wm.  B.  Stewart,  D.  D.,  1861,  one  year;  John 
C.  Thompson,  D.  D.,  1864,  nine  years;  Henry  F.  Lee, 
1873,  seven  years ;  H.  B.  Stevenson,  1881,  six  years ; 
Henry  M.  Dyckman,  1888,  the  present  pastor. 

Mr.  Work  was  not  installed  as  pastor,  but  served  as 
stated  supply  while  conducting  his  female  seminary. 
The  church  owed  very  much  of  its  success  to  his  self- 
sacrificing  efforts. 

Dr.  Cruikshank  was  installed  October  3,  1857,  and 


368  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

remained  three  years.  As  president  of  a  college  in  the 
West,  he  has  done  good  service  to  the  Master's  cause 
since  then. 

Dr.  Stewart  was  installed  May  6,  1861.  He  is  now 
an  efficient  agent  of  the  American  Tract  Society. 

Dr.  Thompson  was  installed  the  second  Sabbath  of 
November,  1864.  He  is  a  successful  pastor  in  Phila- 
delphia at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Lee  was  installed  Dec.  28,  1873.  He  is  now 
doing  excellent  work  among  the  seamen  as  pastor  of 
their  church  in  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Stevenson  was  ordained  and  installed  Nov.  1, 
1881. 

Mr.  Dyckman  was  installed  May  6,  1888. 

THE   KULING    ELDERS. 

Of  ruling  elders  the  church  has  also  had  seven  ex- 
cellent men :  Hon.  Jacob  Yost,  1848  ;  the  Rev.  W.  R. 
Gould,  1855;  the  Rev.  John  Moore,  1868;  W.  C. 
Beecher,  1868;  D.  K.  Hatfield,  1868;  William  M. 
Gordon,  1868 ;  Isaac  Sweinhart,  1880. 

Mr.  Yost  was  a  man  of  decided  mark  and  influence. 
He  has  been  not  only  a  prominent  man  of  business  in 
the  vicinity  of  Pottstown,  which  was  his  native  place, 
but  a  member  of  the  State  legislature  for  three  terms, 
an  influential  member  of  Congress,  and  also  a  United 
States  marshal — to  which  office  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Buchanan,  his  lifelong  friend.  To  aid  in 
this  church  enterprise  he  left  the  German  Reformed 
body,  the  Church  in  which  he  was  born — for  he  was  a 
descendant  of  the  Palatinates — took  a  prominent 
part  in  forming  the  new  enterprise,  gave  and  collected 
a  large  part  of  the  funds  needed  for  the  church-edifice, 
and  continued  an  elder  until  his  death.     To  him  and 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  369 

his  most  excellent  wife,  who  is  still  active  in  promoting 
its  interests,  the  church  owes  more  than  to  any  other 
persons, 

Mr.  Gould,  though  an  ordained  minister,  served  as 
ruling  elder  for  years,  and  his  sweet  piety  and  earnest 
eflforts  in  the  cause  of  Christ  were  greatly  felt  in  the 
church.  Mr.  Moore  was  also  an  ordained  minister. 
While  serving  as  elders  both  of  the.se  brethren  fre- 
quently filled  the  pulpit  in  periods  when  the  church 
was  without  a  pastor. 

The  two  seminaries  of  this  place  were  of  important 
service  to  the  church,  their  principals  and  teachers 
often  filling  its  pulpit  and  rendering  other  aid,  their 
pupils  forming  no  insignificant  element  of  its  audiences 
and  their  influence  giving  a  prominent  standing  to  the 
congregation.  The  "  Hill  School  "  still  flourishes  as 
one  of  our  most  important  seminaries  for  young  men 
and  boys.  The  founder  of  this  institution.  Dr.  Meigs, 
is  still  with  it ;  his  son,  however,  is  at  the  present  time 
its  active  principal. 

FORRESTVILLE   CHURCH. 

The  church  of  Forrestville  was  commenced  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Raritan,  of  the  Synod  of  New  Jersey, 
and  continued  in  connection  with  that  body  for  twenty 
years.  Although  not  formally  organized  until  1856, 
at  least  seven  years  before  that  time  the  enterprise 
resulting  in  organization  had  been  entered  upon,  so 
that  we  may  properly  fix  the  date  of  its  beginning  as 
1849.  Prior  to  that  time  preaching  services  had  been 
held  in  a  neighboring  grove  and  in  a  carpenter-shop. 
The  old  church  of  Neshaminy  aided  in  the  efforts  of 
those  who  were  engaged  in  the  enterprise,  its  pastor 
preaching  for  them  and  its  Sabbath-schools  being  turned 

24 


370  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

over  to  their  care.     The  Presbytery  of  B-aritan  also 
continued  to  help. 

The  formal  organization  was  effected  June  19,  1856, 
by  a  committee  of  the  Presbytery  of  Raritau.  The 
infant  church  consisted  of  eleven  members,  John  H. 
Conover  and  John  Brown  being  the  elders.  In  1868 
the  church,  being  on  this  side  of  the  Delaware,  at  its 
own  request  and  with  the  approval  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Raritan,  was  transferred  to  our  Presbytery  by  the 
General  Assembly. 

From  the  beginning  this  church  has  been  extremely 
weak,  so  much  so  that  at  one  time  its  services  were  sus- 
pended for  several  months.  Still,  being  sustained  and 
guided  by  the  good  hand  of  God,  it  has  kept  on  its  way 
in  a  field  which  should  never  be  deserted. 

The  congregation  has  had  but  one  church-edifice. 
For  the  first  four  or  five  years  of  its  existence  its  places 
of  worship  were  a  grove  and  a  carpenter-shop.  At 
length,  however,  in  1853,  preparations  for  erecting  a 
house  of  worship  were  commenced ;  the  building  was 
begun  in  1854,  and  was  completed  and  dedicated  to 
the  service  of  God  in  1855. 

This  church,  during  its  forty  years,  has  had  only  two 
pastors.  They  have  been  good  and  faithful  men,  else 
it  could  not  have  survived  its  struggles.  Previous  to 
the  formation  of  the  first  pastoral  relation,  and  again 
after  it  came  to  an  end,  various  brethren  preached  occa- 
sionally in  the  field,  among  them  the  Rev.  Daniel 
Gaston,  Otto  Bergner,  A.  M.  Woods  and  Peter  Stud- 
diford,  D.  D.  On  November  11,  1856,  the  Rev.  Henry 
E.  Spayd  was  installed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Raritan 
as  the  first  pastor.  This  clergyman  was  at  the  same 
time  pastor  of  the  church  of  Solebury,  and  continued 
to  minister  to  both  charges.     Thirteen  years  afterward. 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  371 

however,  he  felt  constrained  to  resign  this  charge,  the 
work  being  too  great  for  him. 

After  preaching  for  some  months  as  a  supply  while 
still  a  student  in  Princeton  Seminary,  the  Rev.  Jacob 
B.  Krcwson  was  ordained  and  installed  the  pastor  !May 
20, 18G9.  At  that  time  there  were  only  thirty-one  mem- 
bers in  the  church,  and  the  persevering  and  self-sacri- 
ficing labors  of  the  new  minister  alone  saved  it  from  ex- 
tinction. Few  other  men  could  or  would  have  endured 
so  many  hardships.  But  he  has  in  faith  labored  and 
endured,  and  the  church  continues  on  its  mission. 

RULING    ELDERS. 

The  roll  of  elders  who  have  served  the  church  is  as 
follows :  John  H.  Conover,  1856 ;  John  Brown,  1856  ; 
Aaron  F.  Hageman,  Gilbert  AValton,  Charles  D.Wright, 
Charles  S.  Bewly,  Richard  K.  Foster,  T.  Shoemaker 
AVilson,  Anson  B.  Atkinson.  The  three  last-named 
constitute  the  Session  at  the  present  time. 

The  brightest  gleam  of  sunshine  which  this  feeble 
branch  of  the  Lord's  vine  has  enjoyed  was  a  blessed 
revival  season  in  1858  and  1859,  by  which  it  was  greatly 
cheered  and  strengthened  through  the  addition  of  twenty 
persons  to  its  communion. 

NORRISTOWN    SECOND. 

We  have  been  able  to  obtain  but  very  scanty  data  for 
the  construction  of  even  a  brief  sketch  of  the  Second 
church  of  Norristown.  It  was  organized  September  27, 
1850.  Most  of  those  who  composed  the  congregation 
at  the  beginning  were  persons  so  strongly  attached  to 
the  singing  of  Rouse's  version  of  the  Psalms  that  they 
desired  a  separate  organization  in  which  they  could 
enjoy  that  privilege.     Because  of  the  location  of  the 


372  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

church,  only  a  few  rods  from  the  First  church,  and  be- 
cause of  the  unattractiveness  of  its  building,  the  con- 
gregation in  a  few  years  removed  its  place  of  worship 
to  Mogeetown,  about  a  mile  south  of  Norristown.  A 
few  years  later  it  was  removed  to  Bridgeport,  which 
is  directly  across  the  Schuylkill  from  Norristown, 
where  there  was  a  much  better  field  because  of  a 
larger  population. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  building  in  which  the  church  was  first  established 
was  a  small  old  stone  structure  which  had  belonged  to 
the  Primitive  Methodists. 

When  the  church  removed  to  Mogeetown  a  plain  but 
commodious  edifice  was  built,  chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  by 
the  liberality  of  Mr.  Mogee.  On  removing  to  Bridge-, 
port  a  large  new  structure  was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  about 
seventeen  thousand  dollars.  This  expense  involved  the 
congregation  in  a  heavy  debt  by  which  it  has  been 
sorely  crippled  ever  since. 

THE   PASTOES. 

During  its  life  of  thirty-eight  years  the  church  has 
had  six  pastors,  whose  work  would  have  been  more 
successful  had  not  the  changes  in  location  and  other 
adverse  causes  greatly  hindered  their  efforts.  Their 
names  are — Samuel  Paul,  1850,  two  years ;  Joseph  Nes- 
bit,  D.  D.,  1852,  nine  years ;  James  Harrison,  seven 
years;  Belville  Roberts,  1872,  eight  years;  Henry  F. 
Mason,  1880,  five  years ;  S.  B.  Queen,  1887,  one  year. 

Mr.  Paul  was  installed  October  21,  1850. 

Dr.  Nesbit  was  installed  November  3,  1852. 

Mr.  Harrison — date  of  his  installation  unknown. 
He  resigned  October  15,  1871. 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  373 

Mr.  Roberts  was  installed  the  third  Sahbnth  of  May, 
1872. 

Mr.  Mason  was  installed  October  14,  1880. 

Mr.  Queen  was  installed  January  7,  1887.  He  re- 
cently re.sijjned  the  charge. 

Of  the  elders  we  are  able  to  give  the  names  of  only 
the  two  who  now  hold  office — Charles  H.  Mann,  M.  D., 
and  Thomas  Worrell. 

The  exclusive  use  of  Rouse's  Psalms  in  this  church 
has  been  given  up.  The  debt,  which  at  one  time  nearly 
crushed  it,  has  been  almost  liquidated.  When  it  is  en- 
tirely free  from  this  burden,  the  church,  with  the  im- 
portant field  it  occupies  and  its  fine  house  of  worship, 
will  doubtless  do  a  noble  work  in  the  Master's  cause. 

CHRONICLES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  (Contixced). 
SECOND  DECADE  (1851-1860). 

During  the  decade  upon  which  we  now  enter  ten  new 
churches  were  founded  within  the  bounds  of  the  Pres- 
bytery, an  average  of  one  a  year.  Those  churches 
were — Chestnut  Hill,  Slatington,  Brainerd,  Holmes- 
burg,  Roxborough,  Flowertown,  Falls  of  Schuylkill, 
Germantown  Second,  Morrisville  and  Huntingdon 
Valley. 

Besides  the  ten  churches  mentioned  above,  three 
others  were  at  the  beginning  of  this  decade  transferred 
to  our  connection — namely,  Allen  Township,  Easton 
First  and  Catasauqua.  This  transfer  was  made  by  act 
of  the  General  Assembly,  which  extended  our  bounds 
so  as  to  include  Easton  and  the  adjacent  country,  in 
order  that  I^afayette  College  might  be  brought  within 
the  limits  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia.  These  churches 
continued  with  the  Presbytery  for  twenty  years,  or  until 
the  rearrangement  of  all  the  Synods  at  the  union  of 


374  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

the  New  and  Old  School  bodies  in  1870.  All  that  de- 
volves upon  us  in  reference  to  them  is  to  trace  their 
history  while  they  were  with  us,  as  their  beginnings  and 
subsequent  careers  were  in  other  connections.  In  the 
same  transferred  territory  the  Presbytery  founded 
three  other  churches,  whose  history  it  will  be  proper  for 
us  to  trace  so  long  as  they  continued  in  connection 
with  us. 

CHUKCH   OF    ALLEN   TOWNSHIP. 

It  is  a  source  of  gladness  that  our  Presbytery  em- 
braced this  old  and  renowned  portion  of  Presbyterian 
territory  even  for  a  short  period.  Its  connection  with 
us  forms  an  episode  in  our  history  in  which  we  may 
well  rejoice. 

The  church  of  Allen  Township  will  be  first  consid- 
ered, because  it  is  a  monument  of  that  grand  work  of 
our  early  days  which  had  such  a  vast  influence  upon  the 
whole  destiny  of  our  Presbyterianism.  The  first  great 
settlement  of  the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  was  in  the 
"  Forks  of  the  Delaware,"  and  that  region  may  there- 
fore be  considered  as  the  old  home  of  our  Church. 

Even  such  an  important  colony  as  that  of  the  Cum- 
berland Valley  can  look  back  to  that  locality  as  the 
birthplace  of  many  of  its  most  important  families.  Our 
own  Presbytery  of  the  Neshaminy  received  thence  many 
of  the  founders  of  its  churches.  Throughout  our  whole 
Church  some  of  the  greatest  and  best  members  trace  the 
lines  of  their  ancestry  to  that  favored  spot. 

With  the  planting  and  early  history  of  this  church 
we  are  not  familiar,  and  it  comes  not  in  our  way  to 
trace  the  record.  As  a  church  it  came  to  us  with  its 
pastor,  the  Rev.  Leslie  Irving.  He  was  of  Irish  birth, 
of  superior  talents  and  attainments,  but  so  humble  and 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  375 

unpretentious  that  he  was  but  little  known.  "We  liave 
pleasant  recollections  of  him  in  our  meetings  of  Pres- 
bytery as  one  who  was  conscientious  in  attendance, 
modest  in  counsel,  but  rich  in  thought  and  sweet  in 
spirit.  He  left  us  in  18G8,  attracted  westward  by  chil- 
dren who  had  settled  thei-e.  Two  years  after  the 
departure  of  Mr.  Irving  the  church,  in  the  rearrange- 
ment of  the  Synods,  was  incorporated  with  the  Presby- 
tery of  Lehigii. 

CHURCH    OF    EASTOX. 

We  rejoice  in  having  had  this  church  connected  with 
our  Presbytery,  because,  among  other  things,  it  makes 
it  our  pleasant  duty  to  aid  in  embalming  the  memories 
of  three  men  whom  our  Church  should  never  forget, 
two  of  them  elders — Thomas  McKeen  and  David 
Thomas ;  and  one  a  minister — the  Rev.  John  Gray, 
D.D. 

Among  the  many  valuable  families  that  county 
Antrim,  Ireland,  has  sent  to  this  country,  there  have 
been  few  so  worthy  of  being  remembered  as  that  of  the 
McKeens,  which  came  here  about  eighty  years  ago  from 
Ballymena.  The  patriarch  of  the  family  was  the  ven- 
erable Thomas  McKeen  of  Easton,  scarcely  more  emi- 
nent than  his  nephew,  Henry  McKeen,  long  a  well- 
known  elder  of  the  Scots  church  of  Philadelphia,  who 
still  lives  at  between  ninety  and  one  hundred  years 
of  age,  or  than  his  other  nephews,  James  and  Thomas 
McKeen.  Thomas  McKeen  was  undoubtedly  the  most 
prominent  and  honored  of  Easton's  citizens  in  its  early 
days.  He  must  ever  be  remembered  as  the  founder  of 
Easton,  as  the  famous  surveyor  known  by  the  German 
population  as  the  "  Honest  Irisher,"  as  the  president  of 
the  old  Bank  of  Easton  and  as  the  noble  man  whose 


376  PRESBYTERY  OF  TEE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

word  was  bond  enough  for  any  engagement.  In  his 
relation  to  this  church  he  was  the  real  founder,  the 
elder  who  was  never  absent  from  its  services,  the  leader 
in  every  project  for  its  welfare,  the  stand-by  of  the  pastor 
in  every  work  and  trial,  the  man  whose  princij^les  and 
practice  and  piety  were  as  stable  as  the  surrounding 
hills — who  knew  no  guile  and  could  practice  or  endure 
nothing  but  the  truth. 

Side  by  side  with  him  lived  and  labored  the  church's 
first  and  most  honored  pastor,  the  Rev.  John  Gray,  D.  D. 
His  pastorate  commenced  in  1823.  At  that  post  he 
continued  in  work  and  prayer  and  faith  for  forty-four 
years.  He  was  therefore  fully  identified  with  the  church 
for  the  first  half  century  of  its  prosperous  career. 
Through  his  ministry  it  grew  up  from  nothing  to  be 
one  of  our  finest  congregations.  He  loved  it  as  his- 
very  life,  all  of  which  he  gave  to  it. 

Dr.  Gray  also  came  from  the  great  training-school  of 
the  North  of  Ireland.  In  crossing  the  Atlantic  he  and 
his  wife  were  shipwrecked,  and  finally  escaped  with 
their  lives  only  after  terrible  hardships.  A  singular 
and  very  touching  scene  of  his  last  days  is  worthy  of 
record.  His  health  had  long  been  declining  before  the 
end  came.  In  great  feebleness  he  was  at  the  tea-table 
with  his  family  for  the  last  time.  He  arose,  asked  for 
his  overcoat  and  hat,  and,  putting  them  on,  said,  "  I 
shall  eat  and  drink  no  more  until  I  go  home."  And 
he  did  not,  for  he  was  immediately  carried  up  to  the 
bed  on  which  his  soul  forsook  the  body  and  went  home. 
His  funeral  service,  amid  the  silent  sorrow  of  his  be- 
reaved flock,  was  one  of  the  most  pathetic  scenes  of  the 
writer's  ministry,  the  more  so  as  the  trying  task  was  his 
of  speaking  the  words  of  comfort  and  improvement 
that  were  demanded. 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  377 

On  April  17,  18G7,  Dr.  Gray  resigned  the  pastoral 
charge  of  the  church  to  which  he  had  so  long  and 
faithfully  ministered.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  the 
Rev.  W.  C.  A.  Kerr  was  ordained  and  installed  in  his 
place.  Three  years  afterward  the  church  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Presbytery  of  Lehigh. 

CHURCH   OF   CATASAUQUA. 

This  church  owes  its  origin  to  the  establishing  in 
Catasauqua  of  one  of  the  great  iron-furnaces  of  our 
State,  It  is  interesting  to  us  as  the  scene  of  the  faith- 
ful services  of  David  Thomas,  one  of  those  devoted 
elders  in  whom  our  church  may  justly  rejoice.  He, 
too,  in  his  youth  came  from  a  foreign  land — from 
Wales,  where  he  had  been  brought  up  in  the  church 
of  Howell  Harris  and  Lady  Huntingdon.  He  began 
in  this  country  as  an  humble  worker  in  an  iron-furnace ; 
he  was  prospered,  and  by  his  virtues,  skill  and  energy 
built  up  one  of  the  largest  smelting-furnaces  in  the 
region.  Of  this  church  he  was  the  founder,  the  chief 
support  and  the  ornament.  To  him,  his  church,  its  min- 
isters and  his  religion  were  of  the  first  interest.  He  wa- 
vered in  his  Christian  life  no  more  than  the  rocks  around 
him.  To  him,  guile,  wrong,  faithlessness,  seemed  incom- 
prehensible. With  him,  to  attend  every  service  and  pro- 
mote every  interest  of  his  church  were  matters  of  course. 
The  early  days  of  the  church  are  all  associated  with  his 
fidelity.     His  sweet,  loving  s])irit  was  its  charm. 

When  this  church  came  to  us,  it  was  connected  with 
that  of  Allen  township,  both  being  under  the  pa:^toral 
charge  of  the  Rev.  Leslie  Irving. 

The  Rev.  William  Fulton  became  pastor  and  wa.^  in- 
stalled Dec.  17, 1868.  Two  years  afterward  its  connec- 
tion with  our  Presbytery  ceased. 


378  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 


CHESTNUT   HILL   CHUECH. 

There  is  a  true  pride  which  it  is  lawful  to  cherish, 
and  in  that  pride  we  may  well  indulge  as  a  Presbytery 
when  we  contemplate  the  origin,  the  progress  and  the 
present  condition  of  the  Chestnut  Hill  church.  Its  his- 
tory runs  through  but  thirty-six  years,  and  yet  it  is  one 
of  the  strongest  and  most  influential  of  our  sisterhood 
of  churches. 

In  the  year  1850  the  Rev.  Roger  Owen,  D.  D.,  was 
providentially  led  to  take  up  his  abode  at  Chestnut 
Hill,  and  his  coming  may  be  regarded  as  the  planting 
of  the  germ  from  which  this  church  grew.  On  arriv- 
ing in  the  place  Dr.  Owen  found  of  the  Presbyterian 
faith  no  organization,  no  house  of  worship,  no  Sabbath- 
school,  no  prayer-meeting  and  scarcely  any  people.  In 
a  year  afterward,  however,  a  little  interest  had  arisen, 
and  his  instinct  for  the  service  and  honor  of  God  was 
gratified  by  the  agreement  of  a  few  Presbyterian  fami- 
lies to  meet  with  him  on  the  Lord's  Day  to  listen  to 
his  preaching.  This  was  the  beginning :  the  cause 
prospered,  the  assemblies  increased,  a  Sabbath-school 
was  established,  and  in  a  year  thereafter  a  church  was 
organized. 

This  organization  was  effected  April  21,  1852.  Di- 
vine services  were  at  first  conducted  in  an  old  academy 
or  chapel.  In  the  year  of  the  organization,  however, 
the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship  was  begun,  which 
structure  was  completed  and  dedicated  in  1853.  To 
appreciate  the  efforts  of  the  congregation  in  so  speedily 
erecting  a  sanctuary  we  must  consider  that  then  Chest- 
nut Hill  was  far  from  having  its  present  numerous  and 
wealthy  population. 

The  special  blessing  of  God  seemed  to  rest  on  this 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  379 

church  from  its  very  commencement.  Its  course  was 
onward  and  upward,  year  by  year,  until  it  took  rank 
among  our  most  important  congregations. 

To  write  the  history  of  such  a  church  is  but  a  brief 
task.  There  are  so  few  disturbing  events  and  so  few 
clianges  that  the  material  for  extended  history  is  want- 
ing ;  nothing  but  the  leading  facts  that  indicate  prog- 
ress can  be  narrated. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  church-building  in  which  the  services  of  this 
congregation  were  first  held  is  the  one  in  which  they 
are  still  held,  although  it  is  greatly  changed.  It  was 
finished  and  dedicated  in  1853,  the  year  following  the 
organization  of  the  church.  Sixteen  years  afterward, 
in  1869,  it  was  enlarged  and  greatly  im})roved.  Eleven 
years  after  that,  again,  in  1880,  it  was  still  further  en- 
larged and  made  much  more  attractive.  In  the  same 
year,  1880,  a  fine  Sabbath-school  building  was  put  up, 
and  thus  another  addition  was  made  to  the  facilities  of 
worship.  Only  four  years  after  the  church  was  erected 
a  beautiful  and  convenient  manse  was  built  by  its  side 
for  the  comfort  of  the  pastor  and  his  family.  The  total 
result  of  all  this  labor  and  expenditure  is  one  of  the 
most  complete  and  picturesque  clusters  of  buildings  for 
the  worship  of  God  and  for  the  various  departments 
of  church  work  that  can  be  seen.  No  wonder  that 
artists  from  home  and  abroad  visit  and  sketch  it  as 
affording  a  most  beautiful  group  for  a  picture. 

THE    PASTORS. 

The  church  of  Chestnut  Hill  through  its  history'  of 
thirty-six  years  has  had  but  two  pastoi"s — the  Rev. 
Roger  Owen,  D.  D.,  18o3,  who  wrought  in  the  field 


380  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

with  great  acceptance  and  blessing  for  thirty-three 
years ;  and  the  Rev.  Walter  W.  Hammond,  D.  D., 
1885,  the  present  pastor. 

Dr.  Owen  was  installed  Nov.  10,  1853.  So  great  a 
portion  of  the  history  of  this  church  was  covered  by 
the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Owen  that  a  few  special  words 
must  be  devoted  to  an  account  of  his  work.  Few 
men  have  ever  had  a  more  happy  and  useful  ministry 
than  he.  He  has  been  a  model  pastor,  and  hence,  he 
having  to  do  with  a  faithful  people,  the  church's  great 
prosperity.  An  eye  single  to  the  glory  of  God  in  the 
performance  of  the  great  work  assigned  him  was  emi- 
nently the  secret  of  his  power.  He  loved  this  church 
sincerely ;  its  members  were  his  personal  friends  ;  they 
had  come  into  the  church  under  his  ministry ;  their 
good  name  was  his ;  he  ever  had  them  on  his  heart  at 
home  and  abroad  ;  he  gave  the  best  of  his  life  to  them ; 
and  his  greatest  joy  was  to  see  them  walking  close  with 
God.  It  was  a  sore  trial  when  failure  of  health  forced 
him  to  give  up  the  charge  which  was  so  dear  to  his 
soul ;  but  his  loving  and  loyal  people  have  done  all 
that  deep  aifection  could  prompt  to  give  comfort  to 
his  remaining  years. 

Dr.  Hammond  was  installed  Oct.  14,  1885. 

THE    RULING   ELDERS. 

Not  the  least  of  the  peculiar  favors  which  this  church 
has  received  from  its  Divine  Head  is  the  bestowment  of 
the  excellent  body  of  elders  who  have  conducted  its 
spiritual  affairs.  They  have  been  in  all  ten  in  number: 
James  Smith,  M.  D.,  1853 ;  John  Piper,  1854 ;  John 
F.  Houston,  1860;  Albert  B.  Kerper,  1860;  Henry  J. 
Williams,  1860 ;  Frederick  W.  Vanuxem  and  Thomas 
Potter,  1872 ;  George  H.  Stuart,  Jr.,  John  Macfarlane, 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  381 

Frank  Olcott  Allen.  Messrs.  Kerper,  Stuart,  Macfar- 
lane  and  Allen  constitute  the  present  Session. 

Mr.  Williams  was  a  man  of  blessed  memory,  whose 
name  must  ever  stand  amidst  the  highest  in  the  history 
of  this  church.  Having  retired  from  public  life  after  a 
long  and  honorable  career  of  legal  practice,  he  devoted 
his  closing  years  to  the  cause  of  Christ  in  connection  with 
this  congregation.  To  his  pastor  he  was  a  bosom-friend 
and  counselor.  Most  generously  did  he  devote  of  the 
abundance  which  God  had  given  him  to  the  improve- 
ments in  the  church-buildings,  to  the  pastor's  comfort 
and  to  general  objects  of  benevolence.  He  was  active 
in  the  Lord's  business  in  all  the  church's  services,  in 
the  Sabbath-school  and  with  his  pen,  so  that  the  words 
of  his  sanctified  wisdom  live  after  him. 

Mr.  Potter  was  another  strong  pillar  of  this  house 
of  God.  Though  a  very  busy  man,  manufacturer, 
merchant  and  bank  president,  yet  could  he  find  time 
for  always  aiding  in  the  work  of  the  kingdom.  He 
would  withhold  no  expenditure  in  time,  talents  or 
money  that  might  be  needed  for  the  cause  of  his 
Master.  He  was  always  ready  and  prompt  in  every 
duty. 

With  such  a  body  of  elders,  led  by  such  a  pastor,  the 
church  could  not  but  be  prosperous  and  happy. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  Rev.  M.  B.  Grier, 
D.  D.,  who  has  been  for  twenty-eight  years  one  of  the 
editors  of  The  Presbyterian,  was  formerly  connected 
with  this  church,  and  so  was  a  member  of  our  Pres- 
bytery. In  his  family  again  we  have  an  illustration 
of  God's  faithfulness  to  his  covenant  with  godly  pa- 
rents. The  progenitor  of  that  family  in  this  country 
was  a  devoted  Presbyterian  who  came  from  the  North 
of  Ireland  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  years  ago,  and 


382  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

almost  all  his  descendants  have  been  persons  of  like 
character  with  himself.  Among  these  there  are  known 
to  have  been  ten  ministers  of  the  gospel,  some  of  whom 
have  held  prominent  places  in  the  Church,  while  the 
number  of  ruling  elders  found  in  every  generation  has 
been  very  great.  It  has  been  one  of  those  highly-hon- 
ored families  which  have  made  our  Church  what  it  is 
to-day. 

SLATINGTON    CHURCH. 

This  is  one  of  the  churches  which,  for  a  time,  was 
connected  with  us  in  consequence  of  the  extension  of 
our  boundaries  into  the  region  of  Easton.  Its  case, 
however,  was  different  from  the  three  previously  men- 
tioned, in  that,  while  they  were  simply  transferred  to 
us,  it,  as  were  two  others,  was  organized  by  our 
Presbytery. 

The  town  of  Slatington,  in  the  valley  of  the  Lehigh, 
in  which  this  church  is  located,  had  grown  up  into  a 
large  community  that  had  been  attracted  by  the  work- 
ing of  one  of  the  large  slate-quarries  in  the  vicinity. 
The  way  was  prepared  for  the  church  by  Providence  in 
sending  to  the  place,  as  chief  owner  and  superintend- 
ent of  the  slate-works,  Mr.  Robert  McDowell,  a  Scotch 
Presbyterian  of  sound  faith,  earnest  piety  and  fine  bus- 
iness abilities.  He  took  the  responsibility  of  the  leader- 
ship of  the  new  church  enterprise.  Not  only  was  he 
the  chief  agent  in  its  formation,  but  he  became  its 
elder,  Sabbath-school  superintendent  and  most  devoted 
worker.  He  gathered  into  it  the  Welsh  operatives 
and  others,  and  so  became  instrumental  in  building  up 
an  important  congregation  which  is  still  doing  a  great 
work  in  the  valley. 

The  church  was  organized  June  24,  1852.  For 
some  time  it  was  served  by  various  supplies,  when  the 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  383 

Rev.  Mr.  Harned  was  installed  pastor  in  18G0.  After 
a  pastorate  of  five  years,  Mr.  Ilarned  resigned,  and 
the  Rev.  George  J.  Porter  was  installed  Oct.  3,  1866. 
Mr.  Porter  remained  five  years,  and  upon  his  retire- 
ment the  Rev.  John  McNaughton  was  ordained  and 
installed  April  26,  1870.  During  the  pastorate  of  the 
last-named  minister  the  church  was  transferred  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Lehigh. 

BRAINERD    CHURCH    OF    EASTOX. 

Like  Slatington  church,  this  was  organized  by  our 
Presbytery  during  the  period  when  the  Easton  terri- 
tory was  within  our  bounds.  It  was  situated  in  Easton, 
and  from  the  first  was  a  very  successful  and  important 
enterprise.  The  First  church  had  grown  very  strong, 
and  its  house  of  worship  was  overflowing,  while  at  the 
same  time  the  population  of  the  place  was  rapidly 
increasing.  Another  Presbyterian  church  became  a 
necessity.  Mr.  James  McKeen  and  other  men  of  faith 
and  influence  entered  into  the  new  organization,  and  it 
soon  took  rank  among  our  leading  congregations. 

The  church  was  organized  October  5,  1852.  Two 
years  afterward,  during  which  time  its  house  of  worship 
was  erected,  the  Rev.  G.  W.  McPhail,  D.  D.  (October 
18,  1854),  was  installed  as  pastor.  On  the  retirement 
of  Dr.  McPhail  after  a  service  of  eight  years,  the  Rev. 
Alfred  H.  Kellogg,  D.  D.,  accepted  the  pastorate,  and 
was  installed  October  22,  1862.  He  remained  three 
years,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  D.T.  Banks,  D.  D., 
who  was  installed  November  5,  1865. 

Five  years  after  the  installation  of  Dr.  Baiik^s  the 
church  was  transferred  to  the  Presbytery  of  Lehigh. 
Since  its  transfer  it  has  held  on  its  course  as  one  of  our 
strong  and  influential  congregations. 


384      PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 


THE  HOLMESBURG  CHURCH. 

The  Holmesburg  church  was  the  second  colony  that 
went  out  from  the  mother-congregation  of  Frankford. 
Previous  to  its  organization  quite  a  number  of  Presby- 
terian families  resided  in  Holmesburg  who  were  con- 
nected with  the  church  of  Frankford,  and,  as  these 
places  were  four  miles  apart,  the  desirability  of  forming 
a  separate  church  for  them  had  been  for  years  earnestly 
considered.  At  length,  with  the  purpose  of  preparing 
the  way  for  a  new  organization,  the  Frankford  pastor 
commenced  holding  Sabbath-afternoon  services  in  a 
school-house  at  Holmesburg.  He  continued  these  serv- 
ices about  three  years,  preaching  every  Sabbath  after- 
noon, excepting  one  Sabbath  in  the  month,  when  some 
other  neighboring  minister  took  his  place.  In  these 
preparatory  efforts  the  leading  burden  of  responsibility 
and  work  was  borne  by  Mr.  Robert  Pattison,  Sr.,  a 
ruling  elder  in  the  Frankford  church  who  resided  in 
Holmesburg.  Under  God  the  church  owes  its  origin 
to  Mr.  Pattison  and  his  family. 

The  church  was  organized  April  26,  1853.  It  con- 
sisted of  seventeen  persons,  nearly  all  of  whom  were 
members  of  the  Frankford  church,  and  some  of  whom 
belonged  to  the  most  important  families  of  that  church. 
Mr.  Pattison  was  the  only  elder.  The  church  thus 
constituted  has  pursued  its  onward  course  for  about  the 
length  of  a  generation,  and  most  of  its  founders  have 
already  passed  away  from  earth. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

At  first,  for  a  little  while,  the  congregation  held  its 
services  in  a  small  school-house.  Then,  until  after  the 
church  was  organized,  it  worshiped  in  a  large  public 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATIOy.  385 

hall  called  the  Athenaeum.  Soon  after  the  coninience- 
ment  of  the  first  jjastorate  funils  were  collected  and  a 
house  of  worship  was  built,  which  is  still  the  sanctuary 
in  which  the  people  gather  for  their  sacred  services. 

THE   PASTORS. 

The  church  thus  far  has  had  five  pastors — James 
Scott,  1854,  seven  years;  A.  Hartpence,  18G1,  two 
years ;  Jacob  Belville,  D.  D.,  18G4,  two  years ;  J.  F. 
Jennison,  18GG,  three  years  ;  John  Peacock,  the  present 
pastor,  1871,  eighteen  years. 

Mr.  Scott  was  ordained  and  installed  June  6,  1854. 
For  more  than  one  reason  his  name  must  ever  stand 
foremost  among  those  of  the  pastors  of  this  church. 
It  was  a  sad  and  mysterious  providence  that  this  most 
excellent  minister  was  so  soon  taken  away  from  the 
infant  congregation,  which  under  him  was  so  rapidly 
increasing  and  giving  such  blessed  promise.  The  writer, 
with  whom  Mr.  Scott  was  very  intimate,  can  truly  as- 
sert that  of  all  the  men  he  has  ever  known  he  was  one 
of  the  purest  in  heart.  He  appeared  to  be  absolutely 
without  tjuile.  Thorou2;hlv  trained  for  the  ministry — 
first  in  Ireland,  his  native  land,  and  then  in  Scotland — 
he  was  an  able,  sincere  and  successful  preacher.  He 
had  a  single  eye  to  the  glory  of  God  in  striving  to 
build  up  this  church,  which  he  most  dearly  loved. 

As  might  have  been  expected,  his  death,  which  was 
within  the  bounds  of  the  writer's  congregation  and 
almost  in  his  arms,  was  a  wonderful  triumph  of  grace 
over  the  last  enemy.  At  first,  as  is  often  the  case,  he 
had  doubts  and  fears,  and  sometimes  he  would  whis- 
per, "  Oh  what  if,  after  having  preached  to  others,  I 
should  at  last  be  myself  a  castaway  ?"  But  every  cloud 
soon  was  dissipated,  and  then  for  the  remaining  days  he 

35 


386  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

had  perfect  sunshine  and  peace.  His  very  last  moments 
we  shall  not  fully  understand  until  perchance  he  may  tell 
us  of  them  in  the  realms  of  the  ransomed.  Suddenly  his 
eye  brightened  as  though,  with  indescribable  rapture,  he 
were  gazing  on  the  beatific  vision  ;  and  doubtless  he  was. 

Mr.  Hartpence  spent  the  two  years  of  his  ministry 
here  from  April  1,  1861,  to  April  1,  1863,  as  stated 
supply.  His  health  was  declining,  and  soon  after  leav- 
ing this  field  he  went  to  his  blessed  home. 

Dr.  Belville  was  installed  June  2, 1864.  As  already, 
in  our  sketch  of  the  Neshaminy  church,  we  have  been 
led  to  state  a  few  things  concerning  this  very  able  and 
devoted  brother,  we  need  not  repeat  them  here. 

Mr.  Jennison  was  installed  Nov.  14,  1866. 

Mr.  Peacock  was  ordained  and  installed  April  28, 
1871.  He  has  now  been  the  pastor  of  the  church  for 
eighteen  years. 

THE   EULING   ELDERS. 

This  church  has  had  ten  ruling  elders.  Their 
names  and  the  order  of  their  installations  are  as  fol- 
lows :  Robert  Pattison,  Sr,,  John  Fowler,  Charles 
E.  Neville,  John  Irwin,  John  W.  Morrison,  Robert 
Pattison,  Jr.,  Richard  J.  Wheeler,  Charles  H.  Bamford, 
Louis  Floye,  Harry  Taylor. 

As  to  Mr.  Scott  among  the  pastors,  so  to  Mr.  Pattison, 
Sr.,  among  the  elders  must  be  accorded  the  first  place. 
He  was  at  first  an  elder  in  the  church  of  Frankford, 
and  having  been  installed  in  that  ofiice  at  the  organiza- 
tion of  this  church,  he  continued  to  hold  it  until  his 
death.  He  was  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  of  the  truest  and 
best  type.  Next  to  his  immediate  family,  of  all  earthly 
things  his  heart  beat  most  warmly  toward  his  church 
until  that  heart  altogether  ceased  to  beat.     For  the  in- 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  387 

terests  of  his  churcli  lie  spared  neither  time  nor  money 
nor  anxious  thouglit  and  work.  In  his  rehitions  to  it, 
as  in  all  the  other  relations  of  life,  he  was  like  a  rock 
in  truth,  in  faith,  in  every  righteous  practice. 

Mr.  Fowler  was  the  second  elder  elected,  and  most 
faithfully  did  he  stand  by  the  church  in  all  its  interests 
until  he  removed  to  another  field  of  usefulness. 

ROXBOROUGH    CHURCH. 

Although  the  church  of  Roxborough  was  established 
as  a  Presbyterian  church  in  the  year  1854,  it  had  ex- 
isted previously  for  nineteen  years  as  a  Dutch  Reformed 
church.  Its  original  founding  was  in  the  year  1835> 
when  the  corner-stone  of  its  house  of  worship  was  laid 
by  the  Classis  of  Philadelphia.  At  that  time  it  was  a 
branch  from  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  of  ^lanayunk. 
The  building,  whose  corner-stone  was  laid  June  8, 1835 
(the  proper  date  of  the  commencement  of  the  enterprise), 
was  finished  and  dedicated  in  1836. 

On  the  fourth  Sabbath  of  August  of  the  same  year 
(1836)  a  church  was  organized  consisting  of  twelve 
members.  Early  in  the  next  year  the  Rev.  T.  A.  Bum- 
stead  was  installed  the  pastor  of  the  "  Dutch  Reformed 
church  of  Upper  Roxborough."  He  w^as  at  the  same 
time  pastor  of  the  church  of  Manayunk,  preaching 
there  in  the  morning  and  at  Roxborough  in  the  after- 
noon or  evening. 

Mr.  Bumstead  continued  to  be  the  pastor  for  four 
years,  and  then  resigned ;  he,  however,  again  served  the 
church  for  a  short  time,  some  years  after  his  resigna- 
tion. He  was  a  man  of  fervent  piety  and  great  zeal. 
After  him,  in  1842,  the  Rev.  A.  Ammerraan  became 
the  pastor  and  ministered  for  four  years.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1846  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Queen,  who  was 


388  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

pastor  for  three  or  four  years.  Such  is  an  outline  of 
this  church's  history  during  the  nineteen  years  that  it 
continued  in  the  Dutch  Reformed  connection. 

Owing  to  some  dissatisfaction  with  the  Classis,  the 
church  by  unanimous  vote  resolved  to  change  its  eccle- 
siastical relation.  It  made  application  for  admission  to 
our  Presbytery.  It  was  received  April  19,  1854,  and 
ever  since  has  continued  to  be  one  of  our  staunch  con- 
gregations. For  a  short  time  after  the  change  of  rela- 
tion the  Rev.  Dr.  Owen  of  Chestnut  Hill  preached 
occasionally  for  the  people.  It  was  not  long,  however, 
until  the  church  was  blessed  with  a  pastor  of  its  own. 

PASTORS. 

Six  clergymen  have  in  succession  held  the  office  of 
pastor  in  this  church  during  the  thirty-four  years  of  its- 
connection  with  us  :  Joseph  Beggs,  D.  D.,  1855,  thirteen 
years ;  Charles  H.  Ewing,  1868,  two  years ;  Samuel 
Phillips,  1871,  seven  years;  William  A.  Patton,  1878, 
three  years;  William  C.  Westervelt,  1881,  five  years; 
Charles  A.  Oliver,  1887,  the  present  pastor. 

Dr.  Beggs  was  installed  March  24,  1855.  While  pas- 
tor of  this  church  he  preached  also  in  Falls  of  Schuyl- 
kill, where  his  great  life-work  afterward  lay,  and  of 
which  presently  more  will  be  said. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  installed  September  30,  1868. 

Mr.  Phillips  was  installed  March  13,  1871. 

Mr.  Patton  was  installed  in  October,  1878.  After 
leaving  this  church  Mr.  Patton  entered  ujDon  the  pas- 
torate of  the  church  of  Doylestown,  which  he  still  ably 
serves. 

Mr.  Westervelt  was  installed  November  20,  1881. 

Mr.  Oliver  was  ordained  and  installed  May  12, 1887. 
He  is  pastor  still. 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  389 


THE   RULING   ELDERS. 

The  church's  list  of  elders  contains  the  following 
eleven  names:  John  Ilagy,  1854;  Francis  H.  Latch, 
1854 ;  Valentine  Keely,  1854 ;  Peter  Streykor,  1872 ; 
Michael  Blynn,  1872;  Henry  D.  Coler,  1874;  Ephraiiu 
Rex,  1874;  Henry  C.  McManus,  1874;  Robert  Corbit, 
1877 ;  Robert  R.  Lownes,  1877 ;  AVilliara  W.  :\IcFad- 
den,  1877.  Of  these,  Messrs.  McManus  and  ^IcFadden 
are  now  in  active  service. 

SPRINGFIELD    CHURCH. 

The  church  of  Springfield  was  organized  December 
5,  1855,  by  the  Fourth  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia. 
It  was  originally  composed  of  fourteen  members,  who 
came  from  the  Lutheran  and  the  German  Reformed 
Churches.  Its  first  two  elders  were  John  Sorber  and 
John  Jacoby. 

The  church-edifice,  which  was  built  in  1861,  is  the 
one  which  is  still  in  use ;  it  was,  however,  greatly 
improved  in  1887.  There  is  also  a  fine  manse  in 
connection  with  the  church,  built  in  1861. 

THE    PASTORS. 

In  consequence,  doubtless,  of  the  weakness  of  this 
church  there  have  been  many  pastoral  changes,  and 
several  of  those  who  ministered  were  merely  stated 
supplies.  The  entire  list  of  those  who  have  served  as 
pastors  or  stated  supplies  is  as  follows :  Alfred  Snyder, 
pastor  nine  years,  1857-'66 ;  George  H.  Hammer, 
stated  supply  three  years,  1867-'70;  Henry  F.  ^lason, 
pastor  two  years,  1871-73;  Joel  S.  Kelly,  pastor  one 
year,  1874-75 ;  William  Travis,  stated  supply,  1878, 
one  year ;  W.  E.  Westervelt,  stilted  supply,  1882,  four 


390  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

years ;  A.  W.  Loug,  stated  supply,  1886,  the  present 
minister  of  the  church. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Snyder  this  church  was 
grouped  with  that  of  Jeffersonville.  While  Mr.  Wes- 
tervelt  supplied  the  pulpit  it  was  a  station  of  the  Rox- 
borough  church.  Since  Mr.  Long  entered  the  field  it 
has  been  grouped  with  the  Ambler  mission,  which  Mr. 
Long  also  serves. 

This  church  has  had  but  three  elders — namely,  John 
Sorber,  John  Jacoby  and  Amos  Dungan.  The  first  of 
these  has  passed  to  the  upper  sanctuary,  the  others  are 
still  acting. 

NORRISTOWN   CENTRAL   CHURCH. 

At  the  time  of  the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  1838  the  First  church  of  Norristown,  which  was  then, 
the  only  one  in  that  place,  threw  in  its  lot  with  the  New 
School  side.  Sixteen  years  afterward,  however,  the  con- 
gregation determined  to  change  its  relation,  and  by  a 
formal  majority  vote  passed  over  to  the  Old  School 
body.  A  portion  of  the  members,  however,  not  acqui- 
escing in  this  change  of  relation,  were  organized  in  1855 
by  the  Fourth  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  (N.  S.)  as 
the  "  Central  church  of  Norristown."  For  a  short  time 
the  new  congregation  worshiped  in  a  public  hall,  but  as 
soon  as  the  work  could  be  done  a  house  of  worship  was 
erected ;  and  since  that  time  the  church  has  gone  stead- 
ily forward  in  a  course  of  progress  and  usefulness. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

For  a  few  months  the  new  congregation,  while  it 
was  in  a  formative  condition,  held  its  services  in 
what  was  called  Hill's  Hall.  The  corner-stone  of  a 
church-edifice  was  laid  Aug.  9,  1856,  which  in  due 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  391 

time  was  finished  and  opened  for  service.  This  sanc- 
tuary is  still  in  use.  In  September,  1886,  a  newly- 
built,  beautiful  and  commodious  manse  was  purchased 
with  the  proceeds  of  a  very  liberal  bequest  which  had 
been  left  by  Mrs.  Sarah  Derr  a  year  before  for  that 
purpose. 

THE    PASTORS. 

On  the  roll  of  the  pastors  of  this  church  there  are 
six  honored  names :  Daniel  G.  Mallory,  I80G,  five 
years ;  Robert  Adair,  D.  D.,  1862,  three  years ;  Henry 
T.  Ford,  1866,  nine  years ;  William  A.  Jenks,  1875, 
six  years;  Joseph  McAskie,  1882,  four  years;  J.  Lin- 
coln Litch,  1886,  who  is  the  present  pastor. 

Mr.  Mallory  was  installed  Oct.  15,  1856.  After 
a  successful  though  short  pastorate,  he  was  forced  to 
resign  by  impaired  health. 

Dr.  Adair  was  installed  June  17,  1862.  This  vet- 
eran man  of  God  still  lives. 

Mr.  Ford  was  ordained  and  installed  July  26,  1866. 

Mr.  Jenks  was  installed  July  22,  1875.  He  was  a 
son  of  Alfred  Jenks,  the  eminent  elder  of  the  Brides- 
burg  church,  and  a  brother  of  Barton  H.  Jenks,  also  an 
elder  in  that  church. 

Mr.  McAskie  was  installed  April  27,  1882.  After 
leaving  Xorristown,  he  took  charge  of  the  church  of 
Port  Carbon. 

Mr.  Litch  was  installed  Nov.,  1886,  and  continues 
to  hold  the  pastorate. 

THE   RULING     ELDERS. 

The  names  of  the  entire  list  of  elders  of  this  church, 
fourteen  in  all,  with  the  years  of  their  installation,  are 
as  follows:  David  Getty,  1855;  Jacob  Teany,  1855; 
Joseph  T.  Smith,  1855;  Charles  A.  Hallman,  1855; 


392  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

William  McDermott,  1855;  Abraham  Gerhart,  1861; 
John  Hill,  1866 ;  Isaac  Royell,  1866 ;  Ninnian  Irwin, 
1866;  John  W.  Loch,  1866;  William  P.  Cuthberteon, 
1886;  Montgomery  Evans,  1886;  John  E.  Finley, 
1886 ;  George  M.  Rynick,  1886. 

It  is  proper  in  the  narrative  of  this  church  to  make 
record  of  the  admirable  institution  for  young  men  and 
boys,  "  The  Tremont  Seminary  of  Norristown,"  of 
which  John  W.  Loch,  Ph.  D.,  an  elder  of  the  church, 
and  who  was  long  the  principal,  is  proprietor.  In 
rank  it  is  inferior  only  to  our  leading  colleges.  On  its 
annual  catalogue  there  are  the  names  of  over  a  hun- 
dred students  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  from 
Canada,  from  India,  and  from  Central  and  South  Amer- 
ica. During  the  forty-four  years  of  its  history  it  has 
sent  out  many  hundreds  of  young  men  into  every 
department  of  life  and  usefulness. 

Much  of  the  success  of  this  school  has  been  due  to 
the  admirable  ability  of  Principal  Loch.  His  com- 
bined gentleness  and  kindness,  his  good  sense  and 
excellent  business  qualities,  together  with  his  mathe- 
matical, belles-lettres  and  general  scientific  attainments, 
eminently  fit  him  for  his  difficult  but  exceedingly 
important  trust.  Who  can  estimate  the  endless  results 
for  good  of  that  institution  the  development  and  con- 
duct of  which  has  been  the  great  work  of  his  life  ? 

FALLS   OF    SCHUYLKILL   CHURCH. 

The  Falls  of  Schuylkill  church  ranks  amongst  the 
first  of  our  congregations  in  respect  of  its  small  be- 
ginning and  its  steady  progress.  It  commenced  with 
no  organization,  no  house  of  worship,  no  expected  aid 
from  without  and  almost  no  people.  It  had  to  rely 
upon  its  own  efforts  and  resources.     The  pastor  with 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  393 

whom  it  began  is  its  pastor  still.  From  the  very  first 
day  it  has  been  going  steadily  forward,  stej)  after  step, 
ever  increasing  in  strength  and  eqnipnient  for  useful- 
ness. It  has  the  rare  pleasure  of  having  the  same 
house  of  worship  and  the  same  pastor  it  had  at  its 
organization,  thirty-two  years  ago. 

So  smooth  and  gradual  has  been  the  progress  of  this 
church  that  the  historian  has  almost  nothing  to  record. 
In  its  annals  there  have  been  none  of  the  important 
changes  and  no  such  strifes  and  divisions  as  those  of 
which  history  is  usually  made.  It  is  one  of  the 
churches  in  view  of  which  our  Presbytery  may 
properly  rejoice  and  be  thankful.  It  would  not  be 
easy  to  find  a  better  specimen  of  the  working  of  a 
genuine  Presbyterian  church  planted  in  a  new  field 
and  steadily  rising  to  a  position  of  commanding  in- 
fluence. 

In  order  that  the  history  of  this  church  may  be  pre- 
sented in  as  clear  a  light  as  possible  the  successive  steps 
by  which  it  arose  to  its  present  condition  of  useful- 
ness will  be  narrated. 

In  the  autumn  of  1855  a  prayer-meeting  was  estab- 
lished and  sustained  by  some  of  the  neighboring  pas- 
tors. Three  months  later,  in  January,  1856,  some  of 
the  surrounding  brethren  commenced  preaching  on 
Sabbath  afternoons  in  the  old  academy.  In  about  two 
months  afterward  the  interest  in  the  enterprise  had  so 
much  increased  that  Dr.  Beggs,  then  pastor  of  the  Rox- 
borough  church,  engaged  to  preach  as  stated  supply 
every  Sabbath  afternoon.  In  about  nine  or  ten  months 
after  this  arrangement,  as  the  field  seemed  ripe,  the 
church  was  organized  Nov.  7,  1856. 

In  a  little  more  than  two  years  after  the  organiza- 
tion, in  accordance  with  the  petition  of  the  church,  Dr. 


394  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Beggs  was  installed  pastor  for  half  his  time,  April  28, 
1859 ;  previously  he  had  been  merely  stated  supply. 
Nine  years  afterward,  April  22,  1868,  his  whole  serv- 
ices being  needed  at  the  Falls,  Dr.  Beggs  severed  his 
connection  with  Roxborough  and  made  the  sole  pastor- 
ate of  this  church  from  that  time  forward  his  great  life- 
work.  Seven  months  after  this  change,  Oct.  11,  1868, 
the  new  church-edifice,  the  erecting  of  which  had  been 
going  on  for  a  year,  was  dedicated  to  the  worship  of 
God,  Messrs.  Knox,  Dickson  and  Murphy  preaching 
successively  morning,  afternoon  and  evening.  From 
that  time  to  the  present  the  church  has  been  eminently 
prosperous  and  useful. 

The  first  place  of  worship  was  the  old  academy, 
which  was  occupied  for  twelve  years.  In  1868  the 
church  entered  its  own  sanctuary,  which  from  time  to 
time  has  been  greatly  improved,  and  which  it  is  in 
contemplation  to  subject  to  a  still  more  radical  improve- 
ment that  will  so  enlarge  it  as  to  enable  it  to  accommo- 
date the  increased  congregation. 

This  church  has  no  list  of  pastors :  only  one  honored 
name  is  on  its  records.  Dr.  Beggs  may  well  rejoice 
with  thankfulness  in  the  peculiar  distinction.  He  was 
installed  April  28,  1859.  His  pastorate  has  now  ex- 
tended over  thirty  years. 

The  church  has  had  but  four  elders :  John  Kinnier 
and  John  Hope,  who  were  installed  at  the  time  of  the 
organization,  and  James  McMurtrie  and  John  Max- 
well, who  are  now  also  in  the  Session. 

GEEMANTOWN   SECOND. 

Unlike  most  of  our  churches,  which  were  very  weak 
in  the  beginning,  the  Second  church  of  Germantown 
may  be  said  to  have  commenced  full  grown.     It  was 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  395 

virtually  a  colony  of  the  First  church,  from  which 
most  of  the  families,  though  not  the  greater  part  of 
the  members,  came  that  they  might  engage  in  the  new 
enterprise.  It  had  its  origin  in  the  conviction  of  a  few 
gentlemen  of  energy  and  means  that  another  church 
of  our  denomination  ought  to  be  established  in  the 
western  part  of  Germantown,  which  was  becoming  an 
important  suburb  of  the  city. 

These  friends  of  the  cause  having  made  all  neces- 
sary preparations,  the  church  was  formally  organized 
on  the  evening  of  December  31,  1857,  by  a  committee 
of  Presbytery.  The  meeting  for  this  purpose  was  held 
in  a  little  old  Mennonite  meeting-house ;  twelve  mem- 
bers were  enrolled  and  two  elders  were  elected.  The 
new  organization  at  once  took  rank  among  our  leading 
churches,  which  position  it  has  continued  to  maintain 
during  the  thirty-two  years  of  its  history. 

THE  BUILDINGS. 

The  first  services  of  the  congregation  were  held,  as 
before  remarked,  in  an  old  Mennonite  meeting-house 
on  Main  street,  which  is  still  standing.  The  year 
after  the  organization  a  chapel  was  commenced  which 
it  was  designed  should  serve  temporarily  as  a  place  of 
worship  and  ultimately  for  prayer-meetings  and  Sab- 
bath-school purposes.  This  house  was  opened  Sept.  12, 
1858.  The  church-edifice  was  commenced  in  1860  and 
dedicated  June  30, 1861.  Its  cost  was  twelve  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars,  which  at  the  time  was  considered 
remarkably  small.  The  present  Sabbath-school  build- 
ing, the  erection  of  which  was  pushed  forward  with 
great  taste  and  energy  by  Mr.  Harry  Schiveley  and 
other  members  of  the  congregation,  was  completed  in 
1882.     A  fine  manse  was  recently  erected,  being  fin- 


396  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

ished  and  entered  by  the  pastor's  family  during  the 
early  part  of  1888. 

THE   PASTORS. 

This  church  has  had  seven  pastors,  who  have  served 
it  with  great  ability  and  with  encouraging  success, 
though  some  of  them  have  remained  but  for  a  short 
period.  Their  names  are — Horace  G.  Hinsdale,  1859, 
three  years ;  Robert  Taylor,  1862,  two  years ;  Prentiss 
de  Veuve,  D.  D.,  1864,  two  years ;  William  E.  Ijams, 
1867,  three  years;  Archibald  McCullagh,  D.  D.,  1871, 
seven  years ;  John  W.  Teal,  D.  D.,  1878,  eight  years ; 
C.  P.  H.  Nason,  1887,  the  jaresent  pastor, 

Mr.  Hinsdale  was  installed  Oct.  6,  1859.  He  has 
now  for  several  years  been  pastor  of  the  First  church, 
Princeton,  N.  J. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  installed  Oct.  13,  1862.  He  was  cut 
off  by  death  in  the  midst  of  a  prospectively  brilliant 
and  useful  career. 

Dr.  De  Veuve  was  installed  June  22,  1864.  He  is 
now  the  pastor  of  the  First  church,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Ijams  was  installed  May  10,  1868.  After  leav- 
ing this  church  he  renounced  the  Calvinistic  faith  and 
connected  himself  with  another  denomination. 

Dr.  McCullagh  was  ordained  and  installed  May, 
1871.  For  several  years  he  has  been  the  pastor  of 
one  of  the  leading  churches  of  Brooklyn,  New  York. 

Dr.  Teal  was  installed  June  4,  1878.  During  his 
pastorate,  the  longest  the  church  has  yet  enjoyed,  Dr. 
Teal,  by  his  able  ministrations,  greatly  endeared  him- 
self to  all  the  Presbytery.  He  is  now  pastor  of  the 
Westminster  Presbyterian  church  of  Elizabeth,  N.  J. 

Mr.  Nason  was  installed  May  5,  1887.  Though  the 
time  he  has  been  with  us  is  short,  it  has  been  long 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  397 

enough  to  manifest  that  he  is  one  of  those  Congrega- 
tional brethren  from  New  England  whom  we  shall 
always  heartily  welcome. 

THE    RULING    ELDERS. 

The  church  cannot  but  prosper  which  has  been  blessed 
with  such  a  noble  body  of  elders  as  has  this — men  of 
God  so  able,  so  willing,  so  devoted,  so  prompt  in  every 
duty  to  the  church,  and  so  cordial  in  sustaining  the 
pastor  in  all  his  work.  The  names  of  the  thirteen  are — 
Thomas  Broome  Smith,  1857 ;  Jonathan  S.  Helffen- 
stein,  1859;  Charles  E.  Morgan,  18G3;  James  L.  Car- 
naghan,  186G;  Samuel  T.  Bodine,  1870;  William 
Brockie,  1870;  Frederick  S.  Kimball,  1873;  George 
F.  Wiggan,  1873 ;  Samuel  Bradbury,  1878 ;  William 
Garretson,  1878;  William  Harvey,  1888;  Henry  L. 
Davis,  1888 ;  Penrose  K.  Perkins,  1888. 

INTERESTING    FACTS. 

This  is  one  of  the  churches  which  from  the  first  was 
fully  organized,  as  it  had  a  band  of  deacons  whose 
names  are  found  on  record  throughout  all  the  pages  of 
its  history.  It  has  also  been  a  church  much  distin- 
guished for  its  liberal  gifts  to  all  the  agencies  estab- 
lished for  the  advancement  of  the  divine  kingdom. 
The  Lord  gave  its  members  the  means  to  do  liberal 
things,  and  they  have  recognized  their  stewardship. 
From  several  causes  its  prosperity  has  recently  re- 
ceived a  great  impulse.  Its  house  of  worship  is  filled 
almost  to  overflowing. 

MORRISVILLE  CHURCH. 

From  the  very  beginning  the  condition  and  prospects 
of  the  church  of  Morrisville  have  been  in  the  extreme 


398  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

weak  and  disheartening.  Its  whole  history  has  been 
one  long  struggle  to  preserve  itself  from  becoming  ex- 
tinct. In  its  thirty  years  there  is  scarcely  to  be  found 
one  bright,  hopeful  spot. 

It  was  commenced  because  Morrisville,  lying  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Delaware  from  the  large  and  rapidly- 
increasing  city  of  Trenton,  was  expected  soon  to  become 
a  populous  place.  The  expectation,  however,  was  not 
realized ;  it  never  increased  greatly  in  the  number  of 
its  inhabitants.  The  church  was  organized  October  5, 
1858.  After  that  we  can  obtain  only  a  few  of  the 
leading  facts  which  measure  the  years  of  its  sad 
story. 

The  laying  of  the  corner-stone  soon  after  the  organ- 
ization of  its  first  and  only  house  of  worship  we  remem- 
ber chiefly  on  account  of  an  admirable  address  delivered 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Hall  of  Trenton. 

As  far  as  we  can  ascertain,  the  church  has  had  but 
three  pastors — namely,  James  Callen,  1859,  three  years; 
John  M.  Rogers,  1873,  four  years ;  Martin  Hoffard, 
D.  D.,  1878,  eight  years.  In  addition  to  these,  Andrew 
Tully  and  others  served  for  various  periods  as  stated 
supplies.  A.  F.  Hutchinson  of  Trenton  is  now  minis- 
tering as  stated  supply. 

Of  the  elders  of  this  church  we  have  been  able  to 
find  the  names  of  only  two — William  Buchanan  and 
John  Colland.  One  thing  casting  a  ray  of  brightness 
over  this  history  is  the  faith  and  endurance  of  the 
Scotch  elder,  William  Buchanan,  who  has  stood  un- 
flinchingly by  the  church  throughout  its  thirty  years 
of  discouragement. 

We  would  venture  to  ask  the  question.  Should  not 
this  feeble  church  be  taken  under  the  care  of  the 
churches  of  Trenton  ?     It  is  at  the  farthest  extremity 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  399 

of  our  Presbytery,  and  our  hands  are  full  of  other  im- 
portant and  pressing  enterprises  which  have  none  to  aid 
them  but  ourselves.  It  is  connected  by  bridge  with 
Trenton,  and  business  intercourse  unites  its  members 
with  that  city.  The  separation  of  Synodical  boundaries 
need  not  be  a  barrier,  for  the  Ciiuse  is  one,  and  such  ex- 
ceptional accommodation  could  be  made  as  would  at 
least  serve  to  keep  the  church  alive. 

HUNTINGDON    VALLEY    CHURCH. 

There  were  three  things  which  conspired  to  the  prep- 
aration of  the  way,  and  then  to  the  actual  formation, 
of  the  church  of  Huntingdon  Valley.  The  first  was 
the  long-cherished  purpose  and  plans  of  the  Rev.  Rob- 
ert Steel,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  Abington  church,  of  which 
Huntingdon  Valley  was  an  outlying  district.  Many 
times  during  previous  years  did  he  describe  to  the 
writer  his  hopes  and  purposes  in  reference  to  this 
field.  AVith  the  establishment  of  a  church  in  view 
as  the  ultimate  aim,  he  had  set  up  a  monthly  preach- 
inor-station  and  a  Sabbath-school  in  the  neighborhood. 
Then,  finally,  he  took  the  lead  in  the  organization  of  the 
church,  making  the  sacrifice  of  giving  up  some  of  his 
own  families  to  unite  with  it,  and  aiding  it  in  all  its 
important  movements.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  colony  from 
Abington. 

The  second  preparatory  thing  was  the  striking  provi- 
dence which  placed  on  the  ground  three  persons  who 
were  ready  to  assume  the  care  and  perform  the  work 
which  the  enterprise  demanded.  One  of  these  was 
Mr.  Casper  W.  Fetters,  who  was  elected  ruling  elder, 
assumed  the  responsibility,  beciirae  the  oflicial  head, 
represented  the  church,  was  always  at  the  post  of  duty 
and  stood  steadfastly  by  the  cause  through  all  vicissi- 


400  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

tudes  and  trials.  Another  was  Dr.  B.  Snowden,  together 
with  his  family,  who  took  a  prominent  place  in  every 
efifort,  extended  hospitality  to  the  preachers  and  others 
who  aided  the  church  in  its  infant  days,  and  by  his  ex- 
tensive influence  as  a  physician  drew  many  new  families 
to  the  enterprise.  The  third  was  Miss  Rebecca  Snow- 
den, of  the  same  old  ministerial  family  to  which  Dr. 
Snowden  belonged,  who  generously  gave  of  her  money 
as  the  rising  church  needed  it,  collected  other  funds 
from  her  many  friends,  interested  many  in  the  enter- 
prise, and  who  sympathized,  counseled  and  worked  in 
a  most  efficient  manner. 

The  third  preparatory  thing  was  the  great  religious 
awakening  of  the  years  1857  and  1858  which  kindled 
new  zeal  in  the  cause  of  Christ  throughout  Philadelphia 
and  its  vicinity.  This  brought  to  a  crisis  the  prepara- 
tions for  founding  the  church,  and  drew  out  from  the 
city  congregations  young  men  and  others  who  aided  in 
the  religious  services  which  were  held  as  introductory 
to  the  establishment  of  stated  preaching. 

All  these  conspiring  to  open  the  way,  the  cause  was 
ready,  and  the  church  was  organized  April  17,  1860, 
by  a  committee  of  Presbytery  in  an  old  frame  school- 
house  near  to  the  spot  on  which  the  present  building 
stands.  There  were  eighteen  members  in  the  infant 
church,  and  Casper  W.  Fetters  was  ordained  the  elder. 
From  that  time  forward  for  these  twenty-nine  years  it 
has  been  graciously  sustained  through  changes  and 
trials,  through  seasons  of  spiritual  dearth  and  of  spir- 
itual refreshing,  through  seven  pastorates  and  through 
all  the  mutations  of  an  increasing  population,  until  it 
has  become  one  of  our  most  substantial  churches  and 
an  incalculable  blessing  to  all  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  401 


THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  church-edifice  which  was  built  at  the  beginning 
of  the  enterprise,  and  which  is  seen  from  afar  on  the  hills, 
is  the  only  one  the  congregation  has  had,  though  in  late 
years  the  house  has  been  repaired  and  improved.  Beside 
it  stands  a  comfortable  manse,  which  the  devoted  ])eople 
erected  immediately  after  finishing  the  house  of  God. 

THE   PASTORS. 

Though  the  church  has  a  history  of  but  twenty-eight 
years,  it  has  had  seven  pastorates :  however,  as  some  of 
them,  from  providential  circumstances,  were  very  brief, 
their  average  duration  would  not  be  a  proper  index  by 
which  to  judge  of  the  true  relation  between  the  church 
and  its  ministers.  The  names  of  the  pastors  and  their 
times  of  service  are  as  follows  :  George  J.  Mingins,  1861, 
two  years ;  James  B.  Kennedy,  1863,  three  years ;  Thomas 
L.  Gray,  1867,  one  year;  T.  C.  Anderson,  1869,  nine 
years;  James  W.  Cowles,  1879,  five  years;  W.  T.  Barnes, 
1884,  three  years  ;  W.  P.  Fulton,  1887,  the  present 
pastor. 

THE   RULING   ELDERS. 

The  elders  have  thus  far  been  five  in  number — viz. 
Casper  W.  Fetters,  Samuel  R.  Mann,  Daniel  H.  Yerkes, 
Andrew  Erwin  and  Edward  IL  Bullock.  JNIr.  Fetters,  it 
was  before  mentioned,  was  ordained  when  the  church  was 
formed,  and  he  still  faithfully  serves  in  his  oflflce.  He  and 
]\Ir.  Erwin,  with  the  pastor,  constitute  its  Session  at  the 
present  time. 

THIRD  DECADE  (1861-1870). 

A  singularly  instructive  fact  emerges  from  the  care- 
ful study  of  the  dates  of  the  beginnings  of  the  churches 
of  this  period.     For  the  sake  of  greater  distinctness  we 

26 


402  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOO  COLLEGE. 

have  divided  the  period  into  decades.  lu  the  decade 
1841-50  we  find  that  eight  new  churches  were  formed, 
and  in  the  decade  1851-60  there  were  ten.  When  we 
came  to  decade  1861-70,  the  one  now  under  review,  we 
expected  to  find  the  organization  of  about  an  equal  num- 
ber, but  to  our  surprise  we  discovered  that  there  were 
only  three,  and  as  one  of  these  had  only  an  ephemeral 
existence,  and  as  another  was  separated  from  us  when 
the  Easton  territory  was  placed  under  the  care  of  an- 
other Presbytery,  it  appears  that,  in  fact,  but  one  of 
the  churches  now  in  our  Presbytery  was  formed  in  this 
decade.  On  looking  forward  we  found  that  in  the  fol- 
lowing decade,  1871-80,  eight  new  churches  were  es- 
tablished, and  that  even  in  the  short  period  1881-88 
there  were  eight.  The  question  arose,  What  means  it 
that  in  four  of  the  decades  there  was  an  average  of  over 
eight  new  churches  in  each,  and  that  in  the  one  imbed- 
ded in  their  very  centre  there  was  but  one  ?  The  answer 
is  manifest  when  the  date  is  carefully  considered.  This 
decade,  1861-70,  was  that  of  the  war. 

We  cast  our  eye  back  to  the  times  of  our  great  Rev- 
olutionary struggles.  The  sad  fact  met  our  gaze  that 
not  a  single  new  church  was  formed  by  our  Presbytery 
from  the  year  1770  throughout  all  the  Revolutionary 
period,  and  even  to  the  close  of  the  century.  The 
meaning  of  this  cannot  be  mistaken.  What  a  commen- 
tary on  the  influence  of  war  upon  the  spread  of  relig- 
ion !  War  is  sometimes  a  necessity,  but  it  is  always  a 
horrible  one. 

CHRONICLES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  (Continued). 
THE   CHURCH    OF    PLUMSTEADVILLE. 

When  the  church  of  Plumsteadville  was  formed, 
twenty-seven  years  ago,  it  was  felt  that  there  ought  to 


PERIOD  OF  SEPARATION.  403 

be  a  congregation  of  our  faith  in  the  wide  extent  of 
country  of  which  it  was  the  centre.  There  were  some 
influential  Presbyterian  families  in  the  place,  and  it 
was  hoped  that  many  others  would  gradually  fall  in 
with  the  enterprise.  In  this  hope  the  church  was  or- 
ganized October  30,  1861. 

The  prospects  of  growth,  however,  either  in  popu- 
lation or  in  adherents  to  the  cause,  were  not  real- 
ized. On  the  contrary,  it  was  found,  after  a  while, 
that  the  congregation  could  not  hold  its  own.  The 
Rev.  Samuel  Harrison  took  charge  of  the  church  as 
pastor  in  1861,  and  labored  very  faithfully  for  four  or 
five  years,  but  became  discouraged  and  left.  The  Rev. 
J.  E.  Miller  followed  in  1866,  and  remained  two  years. 
In  1880  the  Rev.  F.  R.  S.  Hunsicker,  D.  D.,  under- 
took the  pastorate  in  connection  with  his  chief  work  in 
Carversville,  and  after  three  years  of  labor  resigned. 
In  1885  the  Rev.  Henry  L.  Gleiser  became  the  pastor, 
in  connection  with  his  charge  in  Carversville,  but  he  has 
proved  that  no  ordinary  means  can  enable  our  cause  to 
flourish  at  Plumsteadville.  Important  families  of  our 
faith  from  time  to  time  are  removino-  from  the  neigrh- 
borhood,  and  others  of  a  different  creed — chiefly  of 
German  sects — are  taking  their  places.  The  cause 
has  run  so  low  that  it  is  no  longer  possible  even  to 
find  suitable  persons  to  fill  the  necessary  offices  of  the 
church.  It  will  probably  have  to  be  made  a  mere 
preaching-station,  where  adjacent  pastors  may  hold  oc- 
casional services.  The  ruling  elders  who  have  served 
the  church  have  been  six  in  number :  Justus  E. 
Long,  Joseph  H.  Grier,  M.  D.,  William  H.  Gib- 
son, Jacob  Hagerty,  Joel  H.  Krause,  M.  D.,  John  L. 
Rickert. 


404  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 


HEEMON    CHURCH. 

Twenty  years  ago  Mr.  Matthew  W.  Baldwin  pur- 
chased a  piece  of  ground  in  the  northern  part  of  Frank- 
ford,  and  built  on  it  a  house  of  worship  for  the  use  of  a 
Presbyterian  church  when  one  should  be  organized. 
The  ground  afforded  ample  room  for  the  erection  upon 
it  of  a  large  church-edifice  at  some  future  day.  About 
the  same  time,  in  1868,  a  church,  consisting  of  thirty- 
seven  members,  was  organized  by  a  Presbytery  in  con- 
nection with  the  New  School  body.  The  Rev.  J.  Ford 
Sutton,  D.  D.,  was  called  to  the  charge,  and  was  in- 
stalled pastor  in  the  same  year.  His  pastorate  con- 
tinued for  five  years,  when  he  resigned.  During  this 
period  both  church  and  pastor,  through  the  Reunion 
of  the  Assemblies,  became  connected  with  the  Presby- 
tery of  Philadelphia  North.  Very  serious  troubles 
having  arisen  in  the  congregation,  in  which  the  body  of 
the  people  had  no  part,  and  these  troubles  proving 
utterly  incurable,  the  church  was  finally  dissolved  by 
an  act  of  Presbytery,  which  was  ratified  by  the  higher 
judicatories  in  1877. 

After  a  little  more  than  three  years  the  church  was 
reorganized  Feb.  21,  1881,  with  a  roll  of  nineteen 
members.  Its  commencement,  therefore,  as  it  now  is, 
may  be  placed  at  the  date  Feb.  21,  1881.  Since  that 
time  it  has  enjoyed  seven  years  of  steady  progress  and 
usefulness. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  present  beautiful  and  convenient  church-build- 
ing, the  gift  of  Mr,  Baldwin,  though  large  enough  for 
the  use  of  the  congregation,  is  intended  merely  as  a 
chapel  preparatory  to  another  edifice  to  be  erected  in 


PERIOD   OF  SEPARATION.  405 

the  future.  Within  a  few  months  past  an  elegant  manse 
has  been  erected  adjoining  the  church,  and  has  ah-eady 
been  taken  possession  of  by  the  pastor's  family. 

THE    PASTORS. 

In  its  seven  years  of  renewed  life,  this  church  has 
enjoyed  the  ministrations  of  two  excellent  pastors — the 
Rev.  J.  H.  Boggs,  1881,  six  years ;  and  the  Rev.  Alex- 
ander Henry,  1888,  the  present  pastor. 

]\Ir.  Boggs  was  installed  April  20,  1881.  Temporary 
ill-health  caused  him  to  resign  that  he  might  find  rest 
and  restoration. 

Mr.  Henry  was  installed  January  17,  1888.  He  is 
great-grandson  of  the  eminent  Alexander  Henry,  whose 
name  he  bears.  Under  his  ministration  the  church  is 
proving  a  great  blessing  in  the  community. 

The  church  has  two  most  efficient  elders — Charles  H. 
Biles  and  Robert  H.  Mackie. 

The  congregation  is  now  in  a  prosperous  condition  in 
every  department.  In  its  earlier  days  it  had  sore  trials, 
but  an  important  future  of  usefulness  now  apparently 
lies  before  it. 

SOUTH    BETHLEHEM    CHURCH. 

The  Presbytery  had  felt  for  years  that  an  effort  should 
be  made  to  establish  a  church  of  our  faith  in  Bethle- 
hem, which,  because  of  its  interesting  history,  its  con- 
centration of  railroads  and  its  rapidly  increasing  popu- 
lation, was  a  place  of  peculiar  importance.  With  the 
aim  of  making  such  an  effort  committees  were  sent  for 
three  successive  years  to  explore  the  field  and,  if  possi- 
ble, to  take  some  steps  preparatory  to  an  organization. 
Such  steps  were  at  length  taken,  and  April  27,  18(59,  a 
church  was  organized.   Immediately  thereafter  a  church- 


406  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

building  was  commenced,  which  was  soon  finished  and 
dedicated  to  the  worship  of  God.  This,  however,  was 
but  two  years  before  the  Reunion,  when  the  Presbyte- 
rial  connection  of  so  many  of  our  congregations  was 
changed.  At  that  time  this  church  passed  into  the 
Presbytery  of  Lehigh,  and  its  subsequent  history  be- 
longs to  that  body. 


I 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PERIOD   OF  REUNION. 

"We  now  enter  upon  the  jsresentation  of  the  last  ])eriod 
of  our  history,  the  one  in  which  the  Presbytery  has 
made  most  rapid  progress.  It  is  a  period  without  any 
outward  movements  or  organic  changes  which  call  for 
the  special  attention  of  the  historian.  All  of  import- 
ance that  has  now  to  be  recorded  is  steady  and  rapid 
progress,  as  indicated  by  the  formation  of  new  churches. 
There  are,  however,  three  things  to  which  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  chapter  special  attention  should  be  called. 
These  are,  the  name  by  which  the  Presbytery  is  now 
designated;  the  definite  boundaries  which  have  been 
established;  and  the  union  in  one  body  of  the  two 
Presbyteries  that  were  before  on  the  territory. 

The  first  is  the  name.  The  introduction  of  this 
subject  naturally  leads  to  the  consideration  of  the  va- 
rious names  which  mark  the  whole  track  of  our  his- 
tory and  of  the  changes  indicated  thereby.  Having 
now  the  whole  of  that  track  before  us,  we  are  prepared 
to  give  a  full  account  of  the  lineage  of  our  Presbytery 
up  to  the  present  time. 

In  order  that  there  may  be  no  mistake,  we  take  the 
precaution  of  stating  that  in  tracing  the  annals  of  our 
Presbytery  we  make  the  general  territory  it  covers  that 
in  which  its  identity  inheres.  A  little  reflection  will 
convince  the  reader  that  this,  in  the  premises,  is  the 
only  thing  on  which  we  can  rely  as  still  the  same,  but 
that  this  for  our  purpose  is  suflicient.      AVith   these 

407 


408  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

points  understood  we  would  trace  the  course  and 
changes  of  what  is  now  styled  the  Presbytery  of  Phil- 
adelphia North  from  the  very  beginning. 

(1)  For  eleven  years  after  the  organization,  in  1705, 
until  the  Synod  was  formed  in  1716,  it  made  a  prin- 
cipal part  of  "  The  Presbytery,"  which  was  then,  in 
fact,  the  whole  Presbyterian  Church,  so  far  as  organ- 
ized in  this  country. 

(2)  From  1716  for  twenty-two  years  all  the  churches 
in  this  region  of  country  were  united  in  what  was  des- 
ignated simply  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia. 

(3)  In  1738  the  original  Presbytery  of  New  Bruns- 
wick was  formed,  and  its  major  and  influential  portion 
was  located  in  what  is  now  the  territory  of  our  Pres- 
bytery. In  evidence  of  this,  on  page  233  of  the  Hec- 
ords  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  there  is  a  list  of  the 
members  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  and 
five  out  of  the  nine  were  men  of  the  Log  College  set- 
tled within  the  present  bounds  of  our  Presbytery  and 
in  our  territory. 

(4)  Thirteen  years  after  that,  in  1751,  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  Brunswick  was  divided  into  two  parts, 
located  respectively  in  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania, 
the  New  Jersey  part  retaining  the  name  New  Bruns- 
wick, and  the  Pennsylvania  part  being  styled  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Abiugton.  This  Abington  Presbytery  was 
essentially  our  Presbytery,  as  may  be  seen  on  page  250 
of  the  Records,  where  there  is  a  full  list  of  its  members, 
all  of  whom  were  located  in  our  territory. 

(5)  Seven  years  afterward,  at  the  healing  of  the 
Great  Schism,  1758,  all  the  ministers  and  churches  of 
this  region  were  again  absorbed  in  the  one  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia. 

(6)  Only  four  years  after  that,  in  1762,  as  may  be 


PERIOD  OF  REUNION.  409 

seen  on  pages  321,  322  of  the  Records,  the  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia  was  again  .divided.  A  new  Presby- 
tery, consisting  of  the  city  portion,  was  formed,  and 
named  "the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,"  while 
the  portion  in  our  territory,  retaining  ten  out  of  the 
fifteen  old  members,  and  embracing  several  New  Jersey 
churches,  was  named  "  the  First  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia." 

(7)  Our  Presbytery  continued  thus  the  First  Pres- 
bytery of  Philadelphia  until  the  General  Assembly 
was  formed,  in  1788,  when,  again,  the  churches  of  this 
whole  region  were  united  in  the  one  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia. 

(8)  Forty-five  years  afterward,  in  1833,  the  Synod 
of  Philadelphia  (O.  S.),  as  a  sort  of  counterpoise  to  the 
erection  of  a  New  School  Second  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia by  the  General  Assembly,  organized  a  Presby- 
tery consisting  of  the  churches  within  our  territory, 
and  named  it  "  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia." 
The  Records  published  by  Dr.  Engles  do  not  extend 
beyond  the  organization  of  the  General  Assembly,  but 
the  facts  as  stated  may  be  found  in  full  in  the  Minutes 
of  the  General  Assembly  and  of  the  Synod. 

(9)  The  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  contin- 
ued under  that  name  for  thirty-seven  years,  when,  at 
the  Reunion  in  1870,  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia 
North  wiis  constituted  of  the  churches  lying  within  its 
territory. 

Such  are  the  recorded  facts  of  the  varied  history  of  the 
Presbytery.  From  them  its  lineage  may  be  condensed 
and  placed  in  one  view,  as  follows:  it  was  in  170.3-1()  a 
principal  part  of  the  one  Presbytery  that  embraces  our 
entire  Church  ;  in  171(>-38,  a  part  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia;  in   1738-51,  the  leading  portion  of  the 


410  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

original  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick ;  in  1751-58, 
the  Presbytery  of  Abington ;  in  1758-62,  absorbed  in 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia ;  in  1762-88,  the  First 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  ;  in  1788-1833,  absorbed 
again  in  the  General  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia ;  in 
1833-70,  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia ;  in 
1870-89,  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North.  Or, 
dropping  the  connecting  portions  of  the  time  when 
there  was  nothing  very  special  in  the  history,  it  was 
the  leading  portion  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, which  was  the  representative  of  the  Log  College 
with  its  great  evangelizing  influences ;  then  the  Presby- 
tery of  Abington,  which  was  the  Pennsylvania  division 
of  the  former ;  and  then  the  old  First  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia,  while  leading  the  way  up  to  the  forma- 
tion of  the  General  Assembly ;  in  this  the  evidence 
of  its  being  the  cradle  of  the  American  Presbyterian 
Church  reaches  its  culmination. 

The  second  important  fact  in  the  beginning  of  this 
period  was  that  the  boundaries  of  the  Presbytery  were 
definitely  established.  Previously  thereto,  while  our 
general  territory  was  well  enough  understood,  its  limits 
were  very  loosely  held :  occasionally  they  were  extended 
much  farther  north  than  at  other  times,  and  sometimes 
as  far  south  as  Market  street,  Philadelphia.  Even  in 
the  days  of  the  Second  Presbytery  they  were  not  clearly 
defined.  But  in  the  arrangement  made  at  the  Reunion 
they  were  definitely  fixed.  On  the  one  side  the  Pres- 
bytery embraces  the  entire  counties  of  Montgomery 
and  Bucks ;  and  on  the  other  it  extends  into  the  city 
as  far  as  Erie  avenue. 

The  third  point  was  the  uniting  of  all  the  Presby- 
terian churches  within  this  territory  into  one  body ; 
and  this,  of  course,  as  a  consequence  of  the  Reunion 


I 


PERIOD  OF  REUNION.  411 

of  the  two  great  branches  of  the  clcnonunation.  Pre- 
vious to  this  period,  while  the  great  majority  of  the  indi- 
vidual churches  were  Old  School,  yet  there  were  a  num- 
ber on  the  New  School  side  scattered  throughout  our 
bounds ;  and  the  two  elements  were  for  a  time  as  fully 
dissociated  as  though  they  had  not  had  a  single  point  of 
faith  in  common.  The  exact  number  of  churches  on 
the  respective  sides  were — of  the  New  School  branch, 
seven,  and  of  the  Old  School,  twenty-seven.  As  in 
1870  the  whole  body  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  in 
the  Northern  States  came  together  in  one,  so  those  of 
our  territory  joined  in  one,  and  became  so  perfectly 
amalgamated  that  the  old  lines  of  division  are  obliter- 
ated and  party  names  almost  forgotten. 

Thus  the  Presbytery,  as  this  period  opened,  received 
the  name  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North,  and 
had  its  boundaries  well  defined  and  settled ;  and  since 
then  nineteen  years  of  happy  progress  have  passed 
over  it,  during  which  seventeen  new  churches  have 
been  formed,  an  average  of  almost  one  a  year. 

CHRONICLES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  (Continued). 
FOURTH  DECADE  (1871-1880). 

During  this  decade  eight  new  churches  were  formed 
in  the  Presbytery.  This  is  peculiarly  gratifying,  and 
it  is  also  a  cause  for  much  thankfulness,  since  this  is 
the  period  immediately  succeeding  the  Reunion,  and 
such  increase  must  be  regarded  as  a  precious  manifesta- 
tion of  the  divine  approbation.  We  shall  now  take  up 
these  churches  in  the  order  of  their  formation. 

CARVERSVILLE    CHURCH. 

Carversville  was  an  outpost  of  the  Doylestown 
church  in  which  a  few  of  the  members  of  that  congre- 


412  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

gation  resided.  Dr.  Andrews,  the  Doylestown  pastor, 
had  long  been  in  the  habit  of  holding  occasional  ser- 
vices there  on  Sabbath  afternoons.  The  location  was 
a  very  important  one  for  the  planting  of  a  church  of 
our  denomination,  for  it  was  the  centre  of  a  wide  region 
of  country  in  which  there  was  no  such  church. 

In  process  of  time,  several  influential  Presbyterian 
families  being  in  the  neighborhood  that  would  form  a 
nucleus,  the  field  was  considered  ready,  and  at  the  in- 
stance of  Dr.  Andrews  preparations  were  made  for  an 
organization.  A  church  was  accordingly  organized 
January  28,  1871,  by  a  committee  of  Presbytery.  It 
was  composed  of  fourteen  members.  Since  then,  though 
the  progress  has  been  very  slow,  the  congregation  has 
increased  from  year  to  year,  and  is  undoubtedly  destined 
to  become  a  substantial  church. 

Soon  after  the  organization  the  erection  of  a  house 
of  worship  was  commenced,  and  in  due  time  a  fine  edi- 
fice was  completed  which  does  much  credit  to  the 
energy  and  generosity  of  the  people. 

During  its  seventeen  years  this  church  has  had 
but  two  pastors — F.  E.  S.  Hunsicker,  D.  D.,  1880, 
three  years;  and  Henry  G.  Gleiser,  1885,  the  present 
pastor. 

Dr.  Hunsicker  was  installed  May  6,  1880.  He  had 
served  the  church  as  stated  supply  for  some  years  before 
his  installation. 

Mr.  Gleiser  was  installed  June  15,  1885.  He  is 
doing  a  great  work  in  maintaining  the  cause  of  Christ 
in  that  region  and  making  gradual  advance  in  estab- 
lishing the  gospel  therein. 

The  church  has  thus  far  been  served  by  three  elders  : 
William  W.  Morris,  Edmund  M.  Price  and  Edmond 
Heling.     This  important  point  should   be  held;   the 


PERIOD  OF  REUNION.  413 

region  needs  it,  and  the  present  faithful  pastoral  work, 
aided  by  the  few  but  earnest  people,  will  lead  to  the 
most  blessed  results. 

WAKEFIELD    CHURCH. 

This  church  had  its  origin  in  the  combined  plans 
and  efforts  of  the  other  three  churches  of  Germantown. 
As  far  back  as  185G  a  Snbbath-school  had  been  formed 
by  a  number  of  Christian  ladies,  at  first  under  the  shade 
of  the  trees.  It  was  an  humble  effort,  but  it  was  not  des- 
tined to  die  out.  The  school  after  a  short  time  was 
transferred  to  the  old  Wakefield  knitting-mill,  and  af- 
terward to  a  small  frame  building  erected  for  the  pur- 
pose. Meantime  the  Session  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  had  taken  the  school  under  its  care  and  ap- 
pointed one  of  its  own  members  to  be  the  superin- 
tendent. 

The  God  of  providence  had  thus  prepared  the  way 
for  the  church,  and  then  he  put  it  into  the  hearts  of 
his  servants  to  begin  the  work.  Mr.  William  Adam- 
son,  an  elder  of  the  First  church,  proposed  to  the  Ses- 
sions of  the  three  churches  that  they  should  all  unite 
in  building  a  chapel  for  a  new  church.  Mr.  Adamson 
himself  proposed  giving  the  necessary  ground  near  his 
own  residence  as  a  site  for  the  building.  This  proposi- 
tion wtis  accepted;  he  headed  the  subscription-list;  five 
thousand  dollars  were  soon  gathered  in  liberal  gifts ; 
and  the  structure  was  erected. 

A  church  of  twenty-one  members  was  organized  May 
4,  1874,  by  a  committee  of  Presbytery  consisting  of  the 
ministers  and  elders  of  the  Germantown  churches.  Rul- 
insr  Elders  William  Adamson  of  the  First  church  of 
Germantown,  and  Francis  B.  Reeves  of  the  Second 
church  of  the  city,  were  elected  and  installed  as  the  el- 


414  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

ders  of  the  new  enterprise.  At  once  it  became  strong, 
self-reliant  and  prosperous,  and  so  it  has  since  con- 
tinued. 

THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  story  of  this  congregation's  places  of  service  is 
peculiarly  interesting.  The  shade  of  the  trees,  the  old 
knitting-mill,  the  small  frame  Sabbath-school  building, 
the  chapel  of  1874,  the  noble  church-edifice  finished, 
furnished  and  dedicated  free  of  debt  in  1883,  the  sec- 
ond beautiful  chapel  completed  in  1887  at  a  cost  of 
fifteen  thousand  dollars, — these  are  the  various  sanctu- 
aries where  God  has  come  unto  his  people. 

THE   PASTORS. 

In  its  fifteen  years  the  church  has  had  three  pastors 
— namely,  N.  S.  McFetridge,  D.  D.,  1874,  ten  years ;  A.  _ 
Wilson  Clokey,  1885,  three  years ;  D.  W.  Woods,  1889, 
the  present  pastor. 

Dr.  McFetridge  was  installed  December  10,  1874. 
The  ten  years  of  his  pastorate  was  a  period  of  great 
blessing  and  prosperity  to  the  church,  and  his  resigna- 
tion, which  was  occasioned  by  failing  health,  was  a  great 
blow  to  it.  He  was  a  fine  scholar,  an  impressive 
preacher,  and  a  careful  and  afiectionate  pastor. 

Mr.  Clokey  was  installed  October  18,  1885. 

RULING    ELDERS. 

This  church  has  been  greatly  favored  in  an  excellent 
body  of  six  elders,  as  follows:  William  Adamson,  1874; 
Francis  B.  Reeves,  1874;  William  Kinnier,  1876;  Wil- 
liam H.  Matthews,  1876;  John  Canfield,  1876;  Charles 
B.  Adamson,  1883.  All  these  remain  except  Mr.  Adam- 
son,  who  has  entered  into  rest,  and  Mr.  Canfield,  who 
has  removed  to  another  part  of  the  vineyard. 


PERIOD  OF  REUNIOK  415 

Concerning  Mr.  Adamson  it  is  proper  to  say  that  he 
was  the  unwearying  leader  in  planning,  working  and 
giving  for  this  Zion,  which  owes  to  him  more  than  to 
any  other  man,  and  which  must  ever  hold  his  memory 
most  dear. 

Before  this  vigorous  church  there  now  lies  a  fine 
prospect  of  usefulness.  Everything  is  in  good  work- 
ing order;  with  its  devoted  elders,  its  earnest  people, 
its  splendid  location,  its  liberal  givers,  its  harmonious 
spirit,  its  great  love  for  the  cause,  we  may  well  promise 
it,  with  God's  blessing,  a  most  important  future. 

CHUECH  OF   LOWER   MERION. 

In  1869,  five  years  before  the  real  commencement 
of  the  Lower  ^lerion  church,  an  effort  was  made  to 
effect  an  organization ;  a  congregation  was  gathered 
and  divine  worship  establislied ;  but  after  about  a 
year's  experiment  the  enterprise  was  abandoned.  The 
failure  at  that  time  resulted  from  obstacles  placed  in 
the  way  by  another  denomination.  After  a  period, 
however,  the  work  was  revived,  and  the  present 
church  was  organized  with  seventeen  members,  Octo- 
ber 29,  1874.  Since  that  time,  for  fifteen  years,  it 
has  persevered  in  a  substantial,  quiet,  but  ever-increas- 
ing work.  Tiie  people  are  earnest  and  devoted.  The 
church  has  had  one  stated  supply  and  two  pastors. 

The  stated  supply  was  the  Rev.  H.  F.  Mason,  who 
entered  the  field  in  1875  and  remained  with  the  peo- 
ple for  two  years.  The  pastors  were — A.  W.  Long, 
1877,  nine  years;  Claude  R.  Brodhead,  1887,  the 
present  pastor. 

Mr.  Long,  after  serving  as  supply  for  a  few  months, 
was  ordained  and  installed  Nov.  1,  1877.  For  nine 
years  he   toiled  on  with   patience  and  diligence,  and 


416  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

by  his  faithful  labors  laid  the  foundation  of  a  spiritual 
structure  that  will  doubtless  stand  for  generations  to 
come. 

Mr.  Brodhead  was  ordained  and  installed  October 
20,  1887.  He  has  thus  but  recently  entered  upon 
his  work,  yet  he  is  laboring  in  the  spirit  that  always 
brings  success. 

In  the  list  of  elders  of  this  church  we  find  but  three 
names — Joseph  Herbert,  J.  C  McCurdy  and  J.  C. 
Fryer.  Mr.  McCurdy,  who  has  faithfully  served  the 
church  from  the  beginning,  we  cannot  but  regard  as 
one  of  those  men  who  are  sent  by  the  Church's  great 
Head  to  be  the  bulwark  of  the  cause  in  neighborhoods 
where  without  them  the  ordinances  could  not  be  main- 
tained. 

From  the  first  this  church  has  had  the  distinction 
of  being  the  chief  centre  of  gospel  ordinances  in  an 
almost  deserted  neighborhood,  of  maintaining  perfect 
harmony  through  all  its  changes,  and  of  allowing  no 
debt  ever  to  cripple  its  energies.  May  God's  work 
prosper  gloriously  in  its  hands ! 

ANN   CARMICHAEL   CHURCH. 

The  Ann  Carmichael  church  of  Franklin ville  is 
another  of  the  enterprises  which  were  undertaken  and 
made  ready  for  organization  by  the  church  of  Frank- 
ford.  The  location  was  one  of  the  outlying  posts,  then 
called  Coopersville,  where  the  old  church  maintained  a 
Sabbath-school  and  where  some  of  its  members  and 
ofiicers  resided. 

The  first  germ  of  the  enterprise  was  a  proposition  to 
the  mother-church,  in  which  his  family  were  members, 
by  Mr.  William  Baird,  to  open  a  Sabbath-school  in  a 
building  adjoining  his  residence,  which  was  accompa- 


PERIOD  OF  REUNION.  417 

nied  with  an  offer  of  pecuniary  aid.  In  consequence, 
a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  church  Session  to 
superintend  the  enterprise ;  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
dolhirs  was  secured,  a  Sabbath-school  was  opened,  and 
Sabbath-afternoon  services  were  estabhshed.  At  tliese 
services  the  pastor  of  tlie  Frank  ford  church  either 
preached  himself,  or  secured  another  to  do  so,  every 
Sabbath;  the  pastor  also  occasionally  conducted  service 
on  an  evenins;  in  the  week.  This  continued  for  about 
two  years,  when  the  work  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Rev.  S.  J.  Milliken,  who  had  been  appointed  by  Pres- 
bytery to  conduct  missionary  services  on  the  line  of 
the  North  Pennsylvania  Railroad. 

In  1876,  ^Ir,  Thomas  Potter,  an  elder  of  the  Chest- 
nut Hill  church,  who  owned  and  worked  the  very  large 
oilcloth  factories  in  the  neighborhood,  with  noble  gen- 
erosity erected  a  fine  house  of  worship,  bearing  the 
entire  expense  himself,  and  at  the  same  time  engaged 
to  contribute  two  hundred  dollars  every  year  toward 
the  support  of  a  pastor. 

The  way  having  thus  been  fully  prepared  by  God's 
providence,  the  church  was  at  length  organized  Febru- 
ary 12,  1877.  The  organization  consisted  of  forty-one 
members,  and  was  named  the  Ann  Carmichael  church, 
in  memorial  of  a  beloved  sister  of  the  generous  donor 
of  its  sanctuary. 

Rev.  S.  J.  Milliken,  who  had  supplied  the  pulpit 
for  some  months,  was  installed  as  pastor  November  26, 
1877.  He  remained  for  six  years,  and  then  removed 
to  another  field.  W.  Y.  Thompson  was  installed  May 
8,  1884.  He  remained  three  years.  Albert  L.  Kelly 
was  installed  January  19,  1888.  He  is  still  the  pas- 
tor, and  under  his  ministry  the  church  is  making  good 
progress. 

27 


418  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 


KULING   ELDERS. 

During  its  twelve  years  the  church  has  been  served 
by  nine  elders,  as  follows :  John  K.  Fischer,  William 
H,  Goodwin,  William  P.  Walkinshaw,  Benjamin  F. 
Brown,  George  W.  Kennedy,  Moses  P.  Bruce,  Harry 
P.  Brown,  B.  F.  Fisher,  Findley  Braden. 

MACALESTER  MEMORIAL  CHURCH. 

Mr.  Charles  Macalester,  an  elder  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  church  of  Philadelphia,  had  his  country- 
seat  in  Torresdale,  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware.  He 
was  naturally  interested  in  the  establishment  of  a 
Presbyterian  church  in  that  suburb,  and  in  order  that 
ultimately  one  might  be  formed,  he  made  a  bequest  for 
that  purpose.  By  that  bequest  he  left  five  thousand 
dollars  for  the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship,  an  acre 
of  ground  on  which  to  place  both  it  and  a  manse  at 
some  future  time,  and  also  five  thousand  dollars  for 
an  endowment-fund,  the  proceeds  of  which  should  go 
toward  the  support  of  a  pastor.  After  Mr.  Macales- 
ter's  death  a  committee  of  Presbytery  was  appointed 
to  attend  to  the  duties  which  this  gift  imposed  upon 
the  Presbytery. 

From  several  causes  there  was  some  delay,  but  after 
three  or  four  years  the  nucleus  of  a  congregation  was 
gathered  and  other  preparations  were  made ;  a  church 
was  finally  organized  November  5, 1878.  A  short  time 
afterward  the  church-building  was  commenced.  This 
was  completed  and  was  dedicated  January  23,  1883. 
Since  then  the  work  has  gone  on  without  intermission 
and  the  ordinances  have  been  statedly  maintained.  The 
Rev.  Yates  Hickey  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  church 
December  30,  1883.     He  is  pastor  at  the  present  time. 


PERIOD   OF  REUNION.  419 

Through  the  persevering  efforts  of  Mr.  Hickey  funds 
were  collected  and  a  commodious  chapel  was  erected  at 
Mechanicsville,  a  large  village  four  miles  from  Torres- 
dale,  which  was  opened  for  services  August  1,  1886. 
This  chapel  enterprise,  with  its  stated  preaching-serv- 
ices, its  large  Sabbath -school,  its  weekly  prayer-meet- 
ing, and  the  seventeen  members  it  has  already  gathered 
into  the  Torresdale  church,  is  a  most  important  tribu- 
tary to  that  church,  while  it  supplies  a  need  in  a  wide 
section  of  country  in  which  before  it  there  was  no 
organization  of  our  faith. 

LEVERINGTON    CHURCH. 

The  church  of  Leverington  was  organized  May  9, 
1878.  At  the  organization  there  were  installed  four  el- 
ders— viz.  William  A.  Bell,  A.  B.  Detwiler,  P.  J.  Langer 
and  William  C.  Todd,  M.  D.  In  the  years  of  iti^  history 
since  then  it  has  become  established  as  a  great  power 
for  good  in  a  part  of  the  city  where  it  may  look  forward 
to  many  generations  of  usefulness.  Its  beautiful  house 
of  worship  was  completed  and  dedicated  to  the  service 
of  God  not  long  after  the  organization  of  the  church. 

Three  pastors  have  ministered  to  this  church  during 
its  existence — namely,  Samuel  Phillips,  1878,  two  years; 
A.  A. Murphy,  1881, one  year;  James  W.  Kirk,  1882,  the 
present  pastor.  Willis  Skillman  also  served  it  as  stated 
supply  for  a  few  months  in  1880. 

Mr.  Phillips  was  installed  June  13,  1878. 

Mr.  Murphy  was  ordained  and  installed  January  13, 
1881. 

Mr.  Kirk  was  installed  October  17,  1882. 

The  elders  of  the  church  have  been  nine  in  number 
—viz.  William  A.  Bell,  1878;  Philip  J.  Langer,  1878; 
A.  B.  Detwiler,  1878;  William  C.  Todd,  M.^D.,  1878; 


420  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

John  Doak,  1884 ;  John  J.  Foulkrod,  1884 ;  John  R. 
Hendricks,  1887;  Homer  Parsons,  1887;  W.  A.  A. 
McKinley,  1887.  All  but  the  first  three  are  in  the 
present  session. 

The  church  is  now  thoroughly  united  and  is  in  a 
prosperous  condition. 

ASHBOURNE   CHURCH. 

The  Ashbourne  church  seems  to  have  been  one  of 
those  which  had  no  infancy,  but  sprung  at  once  into 
vigorous  and  active  youth.  Its  beginning  was  on  the 
16th  of  June,  1878,  when  a  Sabbath-school  was  assem- 
bled, which  on  the  first  day  numbered  about  one  hun- 
dred scholars.  Only  four  months  afterward,  October 
25,  1878,  the  church  was  organized  with  fourteen  mem- 
bers and  two  elders.  The  youthful  congregation  grew 
healthily  and  rapidly,  until  at  the  end  of  eleven  years 
it  stands  almost  as  strong  as  one  of  our  oldest  churches, 
with  over  one  hundred  members. 

For  six  years  the  congregation  worshiped  in  a  small 
frame  hall  belonging  to  Mr.  Richard  J.  Dobbins  and 
kindly  furnished  by  him  for  their  use.  In  June,  1884, 
an  excellent  house  of  worship  was  dedicated,  which  had 
been  built  and  furnished  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  thousand 
dollars. 

The  pastors  of  the  church  have  been  J.  W.  Kirk  and 
Richard  Montgomery. 

Mr.  Kirk  was  installed  May  13,  1880.  He  remained 
for  two  years. 

Mr.  Montgomery  was  ordained  and  installed  Decem- 
ber 19,  1882.  He  has  now  been  in  vigorous  and  sub- 
stantial work  for  over  six  years. 

Nine  elders  have  served  the  church,  viz. :  Charles  T. 
Luther,  1878;  Thomas  Van  Horn,  1878;  Daniel  H. 


PERIOD  OF  REUNION.  421 

Yerkes  ;  Hugh  J.  Laird  ;  John  L.  Erwin  ;  Sihis  Yerkes ; 
G.  Howell  Arthur ;  George  B.  Heller,  and  Robert  J. 
Thompson. 

This  church,  because  of  its  important  location,  its 
vigorous  youth  and  substantial  growth,  its  earnest  people 
and  its  energetic  pastor,  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the 
strongholds  of  our  Presbytery. 

MOUNT    AIRY   CHURCH. 

The  Mount  Airy  church  was  organized  Nov.  9,  1880, 
with  a  membership  of  twenty-four  persons.  Foi-  nearly 
two  years  it  was  ministered  to  by  the  Rev.  John  Ruth- 
erford, who  served  it  as  stated  supply.  Then  the  Rev. 
William  P.  White  was  installed  pastor  Dec.  o,  1883. 
He  is  still  the  pastor,  having  continued  in  that  office  for 
five  years.  During  the  first  year  of  his  pastorate  a  lot 
of  ground  was  purchased  and  the  present  house  of  wor- 
ship erected  and  dedicated,  free  from  any  debt.  During 
the  second  year  a  beautiful  manse  was  built  and  paid  for. 

During  the  church's  existence  it  has  enjoyed  the 
services  of  two  ruling  elders — viz.  John  Lund  and 
John  H.  Tingley. 

This  church  from  the  beginning  has  manifested  a 
most  earnest  spirit  of  self-reliance,  having  never  sought 
or  received  any  aid  from  either  the  Board  of  Home 
Missions  or  that  of  Church  Erection.  On  the  contrary, 
it  has  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  them  and  all  the 
other  benevolent  agencies  of  the  Church.  During  the 
five  years  of  Mr.  White's  pastorate  it  has  contributed 
an  average  of  nearly  four  hundred  dollars  a  year,  which 
for  an  enterprise  so  young  is  truly  remarkal)lo. 

The  location  of  the  church  is  a  very  important  one, 
and  from  the  vigorous  life  it  has  already  shown  it 
promises  to  occupy  it  in  an  admirable  manner. 


422  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

FIFTH  DECADE  (1880-1888). 

The  number  of  new  churches  formed  by  the  Presby- 
tery during  this  period  has  been  eight.  That  there 
have  been  so  many  is  the  more  remarkable  from  the 
fact  that,  though  we  call  it  a  decade,  it  consists  of  only 
eight  years.  This,  again,  reveals  the  gratifying  result 
of  an  average  of  one  new  church  a  year  during  the 
closing  years  of  our  history.  We  now  consider  these 
churches  in  their  order: 

CHRONOLOGY    OF  THE  CHURCHES  (Continued.) 
GRACE   CHURCH   OF   JENKINTOWN. 

There  were  five  influences  which  contributed  to  pre- 
pare the  way  for  the  founding  of  this  church  more  fully 
than  in  the  case  of  any  other  of  our  new  organizations. 
They  were  as  follows  :  (1)  Jenkintown  being  a  district 
of  the  old  Abington  church,  several  of  whose  families 
lived  in  the  neighborhood,  Dr.  Steel  had  many  years 
before  established  it  as  a  preaching-station  and  formed 
a  Sabbath-school  there,  (2)  In  the  pastorate  of  Dr. 
Lowrie  the  Sabbath-school  was  revived,  and  through 
the  earnest  efforts  of  himself  and  his  devoted  and  ener- 
getic wife  a  prosperous  school  was  built  up  and  Sab- 
bath-evening preaching-services  were  established.  (3) 
The  success  of  these  efforts  giving  promise  of  still 
greater  results,  the  Abington  church  purchased  a  desir- 
able lot  of  ground,  and  Mr.  John  Wanamaker,  whose 
country  residence  is  in  the  neighborhood,  erected  at 
his  own  expense  a  beautiful  chapel  in  memory  of  a  be- 
loved little  daughter  who  had  been  removed  by  death. 
(4)  In  order  that  permanent  services  might  be  sustained 
in  this  new  house  of  worship,  the  Session  of  the  Abing- 


PERIOD  OF  REUNION.  423 

ton  church  procured  the  services  of  two  licentiates  as 
missionary  assistants  for  tlie  after-part  of  every  Lord's 
Day — first,  Mr.  Joseph  H.  Dulles  for  one  year,  and  then 
Mr.  A.  A.  Murphy  for  two  years.  (5)  In  the  mean 
time  the  population  of  Jenkintown  had  been  greatly 
augmented  by  residents  from  the  city  finding  homes 
there. 

All  these  things  conspiring  to  prepare  the  way,  the 
organization  of  the  church  came  as  a  matter  of  course, 
and  it  was  accordingly  effected  May  6,  1881.  Its  subse- 
quent prosperous  course  is  well  known. 

The  first  place  in  which  the  Sabbath-school  met  and 
the  occasional  preaching-services  were  held  was  the  old 
Lyceum  of  Jenkintown.  The  chapel  or  church  was 
built  by  Mr.  Wanamaker  in  1872.  This  building  was 
repaired  and  improved,  and  another  excellent  Sabbath- 
school  building  was  erected  in  1886. 

The  jia.stors  of  the  church  have  been  the  Rev.  Henry 
A.  Mackubbin,  1882,  two  years,  and  the  Rev.  Richard 
A.  Greene,  1886,  the  present   pastor. 

Mr.  Mackubbin  was  ordained  and  installed  June  1, 
1882. 

Mr.  Greene  was  ordained  and  installed  July  15, 
1886. 

The  ruling  elders  have  been  five  in  number,  as  fol- 
lows: John  J.  C.  Harvey,  Robert  Coltman,  31.  D., 
Andrew  H.  Baker,  Charles  D,  Wright  and  Francis 
Triol. 

This  church,  judging  from  the  prosperity  of  the  past 
and  the  bright  prospect.^  of  the  future,  must  be 
regarded  as  a  precious  habitation  of  our  God.  It  is  a 
noble  branch  in  which  the  old  tree  of  Abington  is 
again  putting  forth  additional  vigor  ajul  beauty  and 
fruitfulness. 


424  PBESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 


CARMEL   CHUECH    OF   EDGE   HILL. 

This  congregation  was  another  colony  from  the 
Abington  church.  The  members,  the  money,  the  sym- 
pathy and  the  fostering  care  all  came  from  it.  A  Sab- 
bath-school was  first  established  in  connection  with  that 
church,  and  through  the  fidelity  of  Mr,  George  Hamill 
it  has  been  continued  until  the  present  time.  As  the 
Sabbath.-school  increased,  and  as  it  had  a  weekly  prayer- 
meeting  connected  with  it,  a  building  became  necessary, 
and,  accordingly,  a  chapel  was  erected  in  1876,  the  Abing- 
ton church  giving  the  ground  and  much  of  the  money. 
The  building  of  this  chapel  was  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  a  committee  from  the  Abington  church — viz. 
John  B.  Stevenson,  William  A.  Drown,  Gen.  Robert 
Patterson,  John  M.  Fenton,  George  Hamill  and  Robert 
Craig,  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Eckard,  pastor  of  the  church. 

By  the  approbation  and  aid  of  the  mother-church 
this  new  congregation  was  organized  Feb.  15,  1882.  It 
was  composed  of  eighteen  members,  most  of  them  from 
the  Abington  church,  with  the  ruling  elders — George 
Hamill  and  George  R.  Todd. 

Soon  after  the  organization,  June  1,  1882,  Mr.  How- 
ard Bent  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor.  Mr.  Bent 
continued  the  pastor  for  two  years.  After  that  Mr. 
Bray,  while  completing  his  studies  for  the  ministry, 
supplied  the  pulpit  for  some  time,  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  a  committee  of  the  Presbytery.  This  in- 
fant church  occupies  an  important  position  and  should 
be  sustained  in  its  good  work. 

FOX    CHASE   CHURCH. 

Fox  Chase  had  been  for  many  years  a  preaching- 
station   of    the   church   of  Abington,    with   the   pur- 


PERIOD  OF  REUNION.  425 

pose  and  hope  that  it  would  some  day  become  an  inde- 
pendent congregation.  The  writer  also,  as  pastor  of 
the  Frankford  church,  some  of  whose  members  re- 
sided at  that  place;  had  held  occasional  services  there 
on  Sabbath  afternoons.  Many  consultations  were  held 
about  forming  a  separate  organization  in  the  locality, 
but  the  way  was  not  open ;  God's  time  had  not  come. 
At  length,  in  1881,  a  strong  desire  for  such  an  organ- 
ization arose  among  the  people  ;  the  time  was  drawing 
nigh. 

The  real  founder  of  the  church  was  INIr.  Gustavus 
Benson,  an  elder  of  the  West  Spruce  Street  church  of 
Philadelphia.  He  was  one  of  the  most  liberal  givers 
to  objects  of  benevolence  that  the  Philadelphia  Presby- 
terian Church  has  ever  known.  He  was  generous,  un- 
tiring in  work  for  Christ,  unassuming,  whole-hearted. 
He  had  become  interested  in  Fox  Cha.se  through  the 
residence  there  of  a  son.  In  the  rooms  of  the  Board 
of  Publication,  of  which  both  were  members,  he  said  to 
the  writer,  while  leaving  them  for  the  last  time,  as  it 
proved,  "You  see  to  the  gathering  of  a  congi-egation 
in  Fox  Chase,  and  I  will  see  that  a  church -edifice  shall 
be  erected."  Soon  afterward,  he  was  summoned  to  the 
heavenly  sanctuary.  But  the  son,  and  the  whole  fam- 
ily with  him,  inheriting  the  same  generous  sj)irit,  took 
up  the  well-known  intentions  of  the  father  as  a  sacred 
trust,  and  in  due  time  erected  the  beautiful  Presbyterian 
church  which  is  the  ornament  of  the  villacje  of  Fox 
Chase. 

A  flourishing  Sabbath-school  having  been  already 
established,  as  well  as  weekly  ])reaching-service.s  on 
the  Lord's  Day  afternoon,  the  way  seemed  to  be  open 
for  permanent  work,  and  accordingly  the  church  wa8 
organized  Nov.  18,  1883. 


426  PRESBYTERY   OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

A  few  months  afterward,  Feb.  4, 1884,  the  Rev.  Sam- 
uel J.  Milliken  was  installed  pastor.  He  still  continues 
in  that  office. 

The  church  has  had  two  ruling  elders — Mr.  Frank 
Benson,  who  gathered  and  superintended  the  Sabbath- 
school,  established  the  prayer-meeting,  moved  in  the 
organization,  and  took  the  lead  in  erecting  the  church- 
edifice;  and  Mr.  B.  F.  Stratton. 

DISSTON   MEMORIAL   CHURCH   OF    TACONY. 

The  first  step  in  the  founding  of  the  church  of 
Tacony  was  the  appointment,  by  the  Session  of  the 
Frankford  church,  March  1,  1883,  of  a  committee  to 
establish  a  mission  in  that  place,  to  be  under  the  care 
of  the  Session. 

The  second  step  was  the  spending  of  three  years  in 
building  up  a  Sabbath-school,  holding  prayer-meetings, 
and  preaching  by  the  Frankford  pastor,  sometimes  on 
Sabbath  afternoons,  and  sometimes  on  week  evenings. 
All  this  was  accomplished  through  the  untiring  energy, 
the  earnest  work,  the  wise  planning  and  the  personal 
sacrifices  of  Mr.  Barton  Castor  and  his  family,  mem- 
bers of  the  Frankford  church. 

The  third  step  was  the  building  by  Mrs.  Henry 
Disston,  at  her  sole  expense,  of  a  beautiful  and  well- 
appointed  house  of  worship.  Concerning  this  the  not- 
exaggerated  language  of  the  people  was,  "Words  are 
inadequate  to  express  the  gratitude  of  our  hearts  to 
this  noble,  generous  lady  for  this  gift.  Long  will  her 
memory  be  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  owe 
her  so  much." 

The  fourth  step  was  the  dedication  of  the  completed 
church-building  by  the  Presbytery  April  1,  1886.  On 
the  same  day,  the  church  was  organized  with  twelve 


PERIOD  OF  REV y ION.  427 

members,   and    with    two   elders — Barton   Castor   and 
William  W.  Miluer. 

The  fifth  step  was  the  ordination  and  installation 
June  8,  1886,  of  its  first  and  only  pastor,  the  Rev.  D. 
W.  Woods.  The  church,  being  fully  equipped,  en- 
tered at  once  upon  a  career  of  usefulness  that  will 
doubtless  long  continue. 

CHURCH    OF    LEIDYTOWN. 

The  church  of  Leidytown  was  formerly  connected 
with  the  German  Reformed  body.  At  a  meeting  of 
Presbytery  April  21,  1886,  it  ap})lied,  by  its  com- 
missioners, for  admission  to  our  connection.  A  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  visit  it,  examine  into  all  the 
facts  and  rejiort  to  a  future  meeting.  The  committee 
on  June  16th  of  the  same  year  reported  that  the 
resolution  to  make  the  change  had  been  adopted  by 
the  unanimous  vote  of  the  congregation,  and  that  there 
was  no  legal  impediment  in  the  way ;  whereupon  the 
church  was  formally  received  and  enrolled  by  the 
Presbytery. 

On  August  3,  1886,  the  Rev.  F.  F.  Christine,  the 
former  pastor  of  the  church,  was  received  from  the 
German  Reformed  Classis  and  installed  its  Pres- 
byterian pastor.  He  remained  for  about  a  year. 
The  Rev.  Thomas  Van  Sycle  became  stated  supply 
in  1887,  and  served  the  church  for  over  a  year. 
The  Rev.  David  Wills,  D.  D.,  is  now  supplying  its 
pulpit. 

The  church  has  an  important  adjunct,  in  that  it  has 
an  excellent  chapel  at  Chalfont  on  the  North  Penn^^yl- 
vania  Railroad,  in  which  a  congregation  is  already  wor- 
shiping. This  congregation,  doubtless,  will  iu  time 
become  strong. 


428  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 


CHURCH   OF   THE    REDEEMER. 

This  is  one  of  four  new  churches  organized  by  the 
Presbytery  within  the  year  1888.  It  commenced  in 
the  erection,  chiefly  by  persons  connected  with  the 
Market  Square  church  of  Germantown,  of  an  excellent 
church-edifice. 

As  soon  as  this  house  of  worship  was  com- 
pleted Presbytery,  April  24,  1888,  dedicated  it  to 
the  service  of  God,  organized  the  church  with  thirty 
members  and  installed  Mr.  Jonathan  Graham  as 
elder. 

Shortly  after  the  organization  the  Rev.  Louis  F. 
Benson,  having  been  unanimously  called,  was  ordained 
and  installed  its  pastor  May  10,  1888. 

The  church  commences  in  full  vigor  and  activity, 
from  which,  together  with  its  fine  location  in  Ger- 
mantown, it  may  look,  by  the  divine  blessing,  to  a 
prosperous  future. 

LANGHORNE   CHURCH. 

The  Langhorne  church  was  organized  June  7,  1888. 
It  consisted  of  fifteen  members,  with  Mr.  J.  H.  Young 
as  elder.  It  has  not  yet  called  a  pastor,  but,  being  lo- 
cated in  the  now  rapidly-growing  village  of  Langhorne 
(formerly  Attleboro'),  it  will  doubtless  become  a  living, 
active  congregation.  A  very  peculiar  interest  attaches 
to  this  new  organization  from  the  fact  that  it  is  located 
within  the  bounds  of  old  Bensalem,  and  that  its  house  of 
worship  stands  not  far  from  the  very  spot  where  stood 
the  sanctuary  of  that  oldest  of  all  our  churches.  Is 
^ere  no  providence  in  the  fact  that  this,  almost  the 
last-formed  church  in  the  Presbytery,  should  now  arise 
as  if  to  take  the  place  of  the  first? 


I 


PERIOD  OF  REUNION.  429 


WISSINOMING   CHURCH. 

The  infant  church  of  Wissinoming  is  the  result  of  a 
mission  established  by  the  Session  of  the  Frankford 
church.  It  was  nurtured  into  a  strong  and  rapid 
growth  by  ^Mr.  Barton  Castor,  an  elder  of  the  Tacony 
church,  and  his  devoted  family.  Through  their  unceas- 
ing efforts  a  fine  frame  chapel  was  built,  a  large  Sab- 
bath-school formed,  a  weekly  prayer-meeting  estab- 
lished and  preaching  maintained  on  the  evening  of 
every  Lord's  Day.  When  such  an  enterprise  as  this 
applied  to  be  formed  into  a  church,  the  request  was 
promptly  granted,  and  the  missionary  committee,  by 
direction  of  Presbytery,  organized  it  on  the  evening  of 
October  11,  1888,  with  a  membership  of  twenty-eight 
persons,  and  with  Mr.  Barton  Castor  as  its  ruling  elder. 
A  pastor  has  not  yet  been  installed. 

LAWNDALE   CHURCH. 

The  Lawndale  is  the  youngest  church  in  the  Presby- 
tery. To  the  pastor  of  the  Frankford  church,  a  part  of 
whose  former  territory  it  occupies,  it  is  associated  with 
very  precious  memories.  In  the  manufacturing  village 
of  Crescentville  adjoining  it  he  had  preached,  generally 
once  a  month,  for  more  than  twenty  years,  sometimes 
in  the  house  of  one  of  the  workmen  and  sometimes 
under  a  willow  tree.  Some  of  the  most  marvelous  tri- 
umphs of  grace  he  has  ever  seen  were  witnessed  there. 
Two  of  these  ought  to  be  put  on  record.  John  Schofield 
had  been  grossly  intemperate  from  his  earliest  days. 
He  could  neither  read  nor  write.  He  could  scarcely 
utter  an  intelligible  sentence  in  consequence  of  sttim- 
mering.  But  the  Lord  touched  his  heart.  He  became 
a  changed  man.     Tracts  were  selected  for  him  which 


430  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

he  gave  to  his  friends  until  a  temperance  reformation 
followed.  He  learned  to  read  the  Bible.  He  turned 
the  chief  room  of  his  house  into  a  kind  of  chapel  in 
which  a  weekly  prayer-meeting  was  established,  where 
he  was  the  chief  speaker,  and  in  which  the  writer  for 
years  preached  occasionally.  The  other  case  was  that 
of  Samuel  Williams,  an  old  Welshman.  He  was  the 
first-fruits  of  John  Schofield's  labors.  Though  he  could 
not  read  and  scarcely  knew  there  was  such  a  thing  as  a 
Bible,  and  could  remember  nothing  about  religion  but 
what  he  had  learned  from  a  little  bound-girl  in  a  home 
where  he  had  been  a  bound-boy  in  England,  yet  he  was 
brought  to  the  saving  knowledge  of  Christ,  gave  clearest 
evidence  that  he  was  a  new  man,  and  was  baptized  when 
eighty-four  years  of  age. 

The  church  had  its  origin  in  the  formation  of  the 
new  suburb  of  Lawndale,  largely  by  Presbyterian  fam- 
ilies from  the  northern  part  of  Philadelphia.  As  soon 
as  they  had  taken  up  their  residences  in  the  new  home 
they  set  about  preparations  for  the  establishment  of  a 
church ;  a  large  Sabbath-school  was  formed,  Sab- 
bath evening  services  were  established,  at  which  Sam- 
uel J.  Milliken  and  others  preached,  and  the  erec- 
tion of  a  house  of  worship  was  begun.  They  soon 
applied  to  Presbytery  to  be  organized  into  a  church. 
The  request  was  granted,  and  the  organization  was 
effected  December  17,  1888,  by  the  missionary  com- 
mittee of  Presbytery.  The  new  church  consists  of 
fifteen  members,  with  Messrs.  John  Roper  and 
George  Carson  as  the  ruling  elders.  Upon  the  com- 
pletion of  the  church-edifice,  which  will  be  efiected 
in  the  near  future,  it  is  believed  that  the  congre- 
gation will  enter  upon  an  exceedingly  important  ca- 
reer. 


PERIOD  OF  REUyiON.  431 

The  writer  has  now  gone  over  the  roll  of  all  the 
churches  of  the  Presbytery  and  given  an  historical 
sketch  of  each  of  them.  The  work  has  been  one  of 
the  most  laborious  undertakings  of  his  life,  involving 
as  it  did  the  gathering,  the  analyzing,  the  arranging  of 
the  facts,  and  the  writing  of  a  brief  history  of  each 
separate  church. 

The  Presbytery  has  been  composed,  in  this  its  estab- 
lished territory,  of  no  less  than  fifly-ciyht  churches. 
Of  these  at  the  time  of  the  Reunion  six  were  set  off 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Lehigh — namely,  Easton  First, 
Brainerd,  Allen  township,  Catasauqua,  Slatington  and 
Bethlehem  ;  and  two,  Tinicum  and  Durham,  having 
done  good  service,  one  for  over  a  century  and  the  other 
for  half  that  time,  had  at  last,  in  consequence  of  the 
removal  of  their  families,  to  close  their  work.  The 
Presbytery  now  consists  of  fifty  churches. 

In  this  history  the  writer  has  purposely  not  even 
alluded  to  the  strifes  by  which  some  of  the  churches 
have  been  sorely  afflicted.  He  did  not  think  it  wise  to 
perpetuate  their  memory,  regarding  them  as  among  the 
things  that  were  best  cast  "  into  the  depths  of  the  sea." 
"With  this  exception  he  has  not  knowingly  omitted  one 
fact  of  historic  importance  in  his  account  of  any  one 
of  the  churches.  He  has  passed  over  no  church,  of  how- 
ever little  importance  it  might  seem.  He  has  given  the 
name  of  every  pastor  and  of  every  stated  sup])ly  who 
has  ever  been  connected  with  the  Presbytery.  He  has 
mentioned  every  ruling  elder  whose  name  he  could  find 
on  the  records  or  hear  of  by  means  of  an  immense 
correspondence,  sometimes  dwelling  upon  the  life  and 
character  of  those  who  had  done  special  service;  but 
rarely,  however,  in  the  case  of  those  still  living.  He 
has  not  knowingly  omitted  the  names  of  any  of  these 


432  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

nor  suffered  himself  to  be  influenced  in  his  remarks  con- 
cerning them  by  personal  prejudice.  He  has  devoted 
longer  or  shorter  space  to  individual  churches,  not  in 
view  of  their  present  importance,  but  in  accordance 
with  their  influence  on  the  history.  Sometimes,  doubt- 
less, he  has  made  mistakes,  but  never  through  relying 
on  vague  recollections  or  mere  probabilities ;  for  he  has 
in  every  case  required  positive  information  as  the  basis 
of  his  statements.  He  has  always  given  names,  dates 
and  facts  as  they  were  given  him  or  as  he  found  them 
in  the  records,  thus  throwing  the  responsibility  on  his 
authorities.  His  abiding  desire  has  been  to  prepare  a 
thesaurus  of  that  highly  important  portion  of  Christ's 
kingdom  whose  interests  God  had  entrusted  to  the  Pres- 
bytery. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

PROGRESS  IN  THE  PRESBYTERY'S  LIFE. 

Having  thus  far  studied  the  history  of  the  Presby- 
tery in  detail,  investigating  all  points  of  special  im- 
portance, it  is  proper  that  it  should  be  regarded  as  a 
whole,  so  that  the  important  facts  it  brings  to  light 
concerning  church-work  may  be  ascertained.  Has  the 
work  of  the  Presbytery  been  successful  ?  If  so,  what 
is  the  amount  of  success  which  God  has  accorded  ? 
AVhat  is  the  amount  of  increase  that  has  been  made,  so 
far  as  is  indicated  by  the  statistics  in  our  possession  ? 
What  was  the  Presbytery  one  hundred  and  eighty 
years  ago,  and  what  is  it  to-day  ?  The  full  answer  to 
these  questions  would  involve  several  elements,  such  as 
the  relative  degree  of  piety  both  in  churches  and  in- 
dividuals, the  amount  of  gifts  to  benevolent  objects  in 
proportion  to  ability,  and  other  similar  questions  ;  but 
as  these  are  beyond  the  reach  of  human  investigation, 
we  must  confine  ourselves  to  the  numerical  strength  in 
members  and  in  churches  at  various  periods.  This  we 
can  ascertain  with  absolute  correctness,  and  we  can 
grasp  their  import  without  any  difficulty. 

INCREASE.  IX    MEMBERS. 

Our  first  investigation  will  be  as  to  the  increase  in 
church-members.  We  cannot  learn  the  number  at  the 
beginning  of  our  history  or  even  at  the  beginning  of 
this  century,  but  we  can  obtain  the  number  forty  years 

23  433 


434  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

ago,  and  that  will  serve  to  give  a  satisfactory  view  of 
the  direction  in  which  we  have  been  moving.  There 
are  certain  facts  deducible  from  such  summaries  and 
comparisons  which  are  deeply  significant, 

We  take  the  period  from  1850  to  the  present  time, 
which  is  nearly  forty  years.  Let  us  then  compare  the 
number  of  Presbyterian  church-members  in  1850  in 
the  territory  which  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia 
North  now  covers  with  the  members  in  the  same 
territory  to-day.  In  1850  there  were  in  that  terri- 
tory five  New  School  churches  and  all  the  churches 
of  the  Second  Presbytery.  In  these  combined  there 
were  then  two  thousand  and  seventy-three  (2073) 
members.  In  the  Presbytery  there  are  at  the  present 
time  seven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty-three 
(7743)  members,  or  more  than  three  times  as  many  £is 
there  were  at  the  former  date. 

But  has  not  the  entire  population  increased  just  as 
rapidly,  so  that  really  there  has  been  no  proportionate 
gain  of  church-members?  This  question  induced  the 
writer  to  make  an  investigation  as  to  the  increase  in 
the  population,  in  which  search,  for  a  time,  he  feared 
that  he  could  not  be  successful.  Who  could  tell  or 
what  tables  would  show  the  number  of  inhabitants  in 
that  peculiar  territory  in  either  1850  or  at  the  present 
time?  Fortunately,  he  found  one — perhaps  the  only — 
man  living  who  could  give  the  exact  amount  of  popu- 
lation of  Bucks  and  Montgomery  counties,  and  espe- 
cially of  the  city  north  of  Erie  avenue — namely,  the 
Hon.  Richardson  L.  Wright,  for  years  the  speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  in  Pennsylvania.  After 
careful  examination  he  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  in 
1850  the  population  of  that  district  amounted  to  150,393, 
and  at  the  present  time  is  316,000.    According  to  these 


1 


PROGRESS  IN  THE  PRESBYTERY'S  LIFE.  435 

estimates,  which  undoubtedly  are  proximately  correct, 
there  was  in  1850  one  Presbyterian  church-member  to 
every  seventy-two  (72)  of  the  population,  and  at  the 
present  time  there  is  one  to  every  forty  (40)  of  the 
people.  These  are  actual  communicants  in  the  church, 
but  in  the  families  of  the  members  and  in  the  congre- 
gations and  the  community  there  are  many  children 
and  others  who  are  adherents  of  our  Church,  though 
not  communicants.  The  usual  estimate  of  these  is  from 
four  to  five  as  represented  by  each  member.  If  we  take 
the  lower  number,  four,  then  in  1850  we  had  8292 
adherents  in  the  territory,  while  at  the  present  time 
there  are  30,972  nominal  Presbyterians  therein.  Then, 
again,  in  1850  we  had  one  adherent  to  our  cause  for 
every  eighteen  (18)  of  the  people,  and  now  we  have 
one  to  every  ten  (10).  How  richly  God  has  crowned 
our  imperfect  efforts  for  the  extension  of  his  kingdom ! 
Had  we  been  as  faithful  as  all  the  servants  of  Christ 
within  our  bounds  should  and  might  have  been,  what 
glorious  results  might  we  now  behold  ! 

INCREASE    IN    CHURCHES. 

The  whole  number  of  actual  churches  that  are,  or 
have  been,  on  the  roll  of  the  Presbytery  is  fifty-eight. 
In  making  this  exhibit  three  or  four  small  organizations 
are  omitted  which  ought  never  to  have  been  formed, 
and  which  had  but  an  ephemeral  existence.  Fifty-eight 
churches  !  Where  do  we  find  them  ?  Six  of  them — 
namely,  Easton  First,  Brainerd,  Allen  township,  Cata- 
sauqua,  Slatington  and  Bethlehem — were  set  off  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Lehigh  ;  two  of  them — Tinicum  and 
Durham — after  doing  good  service,  one  for  a  century 
and  the  other  for  half  a  century,  had  no  longer  a 
population  around  them  by  which  they  could  be  sua- 


436  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

tained.     And  the  remaining  fifty  now  constitute  the 
Presbytery. 

CHURCHES   ORGANIZED    IN   FIFTY   YEARS. 

During  the  \sist  fifty  years  the  Presbytery  has  formed 
forty  new  churches — an  average  of  eight  to  each  of  the 
five  decades.  This  fact  becomes  the  more  significant 
of  progress  when  we  see  in  the  records  that  nineteen 
of  the  forty  were  organized  within  the  last  twenty 
years.  This  is  an  average  of  one  church  a  year  for  the 
last  twenty  years.  Moreovei',  these  forty  churches  are 
not  sickly,  dying  organizations :  some  of  them  are 
amongst  our  strongest  congregations.  We  have  not  in- 
cluded in  the  review  the  ephemeral  ones  which  were 
no  sooner  formed  than  they  began  to  die,  and  only  five 
of  the  forty  are  receiving  any  aid  from  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions. 

THE   CHURCHES   IN    GROUPS. 

One  hundred  years  ago  the  whole  number  of  churches 
in  our  territory,  commencing  with  Bensalem  and  ending 
with  Frankford,  was  only  nine.  How  is  it  now?  In 
order  that  the  answer  to  this  question  may  make  due 
impression,  the  fifty  churches  of  the  Presbytery  will  be 
considered  in  five  groups  into  which  they  naturally  di- 
vide themselves.  In  each  of  these  groups  there  is  a  cen- 
tral or  mother-church  which  existed  in  the  last  century, 
around  which  most  of  the  others  arrange  themselves. 
In  some  cases  the  lines  of  division  are  arbitrary.  A  con- 
trolling principle  in  forming  the  groups  was  that  they 
should  be  nearly  equal,  in  order  that  there*  might  be 
impressive  comparison  with  the  past.  It  is  proper  to 
add  that  in  fixing  the  groups  no  comparison  of  the  in- 
dividual churches  is  intended. 


PROGRESS  IN  THE  PRESBYTERY'S  LIFE.  437 

(1)  Tlie  first  may  be  called  the  Xcshanihi)/  Group, 
tlie  motlier-cliurcli  of  which  is  Nesliamiuy  of  AVarwick. 
It  is  composed  of  the  ten  churches — viz.  Neshaniiny  of 
Warwick,  Neshaiuiny  of  Warminster,  Bensalem,  Doyles- 
town,  Newtown,  Morrisville,  Carverville,  Plumsteadville, 
Thompson  Memorial  and  Forrestville. 

(2)  The  second  is  the  Schuylkill  Valley  Group, 
with  Norriton  as  the  mother-church.  It  is  composed 
of  eleven  churches — viz.  Norriton  and  Providence, 
Lower  Merion,  Falls  of  Schuylkill,  Manayunk,  Con- 
shohocken,  Norristown  First,  Norristown  Central,  Nor- 
ristown  Second,  Jefferson ville,  Port  Kennedy  and  Potts- 
town. 

(3)  The  third  is  the  Central  Group,  with  Abington 
as  the  mother-church.  It  is  composed  of  ten  churches — 
viz.  Abington,  Eddington,  Bristol,  Huntingdon  Valley, 
Fox  Chase,  Jenkintown,  Ashbourne,  Leidytown,  Lang- 
horne,  Edge  Hill. 

(4)  The  fourth  is  the  Germantown  Group,  with  Mar- 
ket Square  as  the  mother-church.  It  consists  of  ten 
churches  —  viz.  Market  Square,  Germantown  First, 
Germantown  Second,  Mount  Airy,  Chestnut  Hill, 
Springfield,  Wakefield,  Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Lev- 
erington,  Roxborough. 

(5)  The  fifth  is  the  Frankford  Group,  with  Frank- 
ford  as  the  mother-church.  It  consists  of  nine 
churches — viz.  Frankford,  Hermon,  Bridesburg,  Wis- 
sinoming,  Tacony,  Torresdale,  Holmesburg,  Lawndale, 
Erie  Avenue. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  appreciate  our  growth  in  a 
hundred  years.  At  the  beginning  of  the  century  the 
Presbytery  consisted  of  nine  churches ;  it  now  consists 
of  five  groups  of  churches,  the  smallest  of  which  groups 
has  in  it  more  than  the  original  number  of  churches. 


438  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

Dividing  the  century  into  periods  of  twenty-five  years 
each,  there  has  been  an  average  addition  every  quarter- 
century  of  as  many  churches  as  the  Presbytery  con- 
tained in  1788,  or  eighty  years  after  it  was  organized. 
How  wonderful  is  the  evidence  of  God's  care  of  his 
Church ! 

INTERCOMMUNICATION   WITH   OTHER   DENOMINATIONS. 

Some  very  interesting  questions  appropriately  arise 
while  we  are  considering  the  growth  of  the  past. 
What  is  the  standing  or  drift  of  our  people  with  ref- 
erence to  other  denominations?  What  are  the  ten- 
dencies in  our  families?  Do  our  people  leave  us  to 
connect  themselves  with  other  communions,  or  do  many 
from  other  communions  come  from  them  and  connect 
themselves  with  us?  What  do  the  facts  of  history — ■_ 
not  impressions  or  guesses,  but  facts  ascertained  from 
averages  of  congregations  variously  situated — teach  us 
concerning  the  intercommunication  between  the  various 
branches  of  the  one  great  family  of  our  common  Lord  ? 
There  is  an  impression — an  impression  to  which  our 
own  people  give  too  much  countenance — that  the  bal- 
ance is  against  us,  and  that  our  young  people  especially 
are  leaving  us  and  joining  other  communions.  Is  this 
the  fact  ?  Is  there  any  way  of  proving  whether  it  is  so 
or  not  ?  There  is  one  mode  which  will  prove  at  least 
partially  effective.  The  roll  of  the  members  of  a  large 
church  with  the  religious  history  of  whose  members  the 
pastor  was  very  familiar  was  taken,  and  after  much 
careful  scrutiny  it  was  ascertained  that  forty-four  per 
cent,  of  the  members  had  been  brought  up  in  connection 
with  other  denominations.  After  conference  with  other 
pastors,  and  after  comparison  with  other  churches  dif- 
ferently situated,  it  was  concluded  that  this  was  not  far 


PROGRESS  IN  THE  PRESBYTERY'S  LIFE.  439 

from  a  general  average.  Now,  it  cannot  be  contended 
that  a  larger  percentage  leave  us  to  join  other  com- 
munions. The  conclusion,  therefore,  appears  to  be  a 
fair  one  that  while,  beyond  doubt,  a  large  number  go 
from  us  to  other  denominations,  at  least  as  many  come 
to  us  from  them. 


CHAPTEE   XV. 

TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE   YEARS. 

These  one  hundred  and  eighty  years  of  church-life 
and  activity  have  wrought  out  a  very  rich  store  of  ex- 
perience, and  have  established  many  valuable  principles 
on  sure  foundations.  They  teach  the  thoughtful  many 
important  lessons.  They  have  exposed  many  errors  in 
both  doctrine  and  practice.  They  have  developed  many 
excellent  maxims  and  many  invaluable  rules  of  life  and 
work.  These  matters  have  not  been  alluded  to  in  the 
body  of  this  work,  it  being  deemed  preferable  to  wait 
until  they  could  be  presented  as  fortified  by  the  whole 
mass  of  the  experience  of  our  history,  and  thus  made 
more  impressive  than  they  could  have  been  when  seen 
standing  by  themselves. 

This  mass  of  experience  is  for  practical  use  the  very 
essence  of  our  history,  and  with  its  invaluable  lessons 
must  not  be  overlooked  or  lost.  It  is  rarely  that  such 
a  rich  treasury  of  experience  is  ever  possessed,  and  as- 
suredly it  ought  to  be  fully  improved.  Throughout  the 
years  and  in  the  various  churches  all  sorts  of  motives 
have  arisen,  all  kinds  of  plans  and  experiments  have  been 
tried,  and  the  results  are  here.  All  sorts  of  Christian 
men  have  been  with  us  and  all  sorts  of  efforts  have  been 
made,  and  the  influences  which  sprang  from  them  are 
before  us.  Some  of  these  influences  have  utterly  failed 
of  good  result,  some  have  been  of  doubtful  effect  and 
some  have  been  crowned  with  God's  testimony  of  suc- 
cess; and  the  inferences  are  ours.     Certain  evils  have 

440 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE  YEARS.  441 

been  seen  in  their  hideousness  and  certain  excellences 
have  appeared  at  their  full  value ;  and  all  their  lessons 
are  for  us  to  read. 

Presbyterianism  itself,  as  a  system,  has  been  here 
fairly  subjected  to  the  test  of  experiment.  Has  it  stood 
the  wear  and  strain  of  years  ?  Has  it  shown  itself  to 
be  the  solid,  ever-abiding  and  unchanging  truth  ?  Has 
it  turned  out  to  be  an  invaluable  boon  sent  down  from 
heaven  to  the  children  of  men  ?  If  true  and  real,  it 
must  have  proved  itself  to  be  so  in  the  course  of  these 
years ;  if  false  and  pretentious,  time  must  have  shown 
that  it  is  so. 

Never  in  the  history  of  the  world  was  there  a  better 
field  than  this  region  of  the  Neshaminy  in  which  the 
experiment  could  be  made.  Presbyterian  ism  has  had 
a  period  of  almost  two  centuries  in  which  to  prove 
itself.  It  has  had  a  field  of  operation  wide  enough  for 
the  testing,  and  yet  compact  enough  to  be  readily  kept 
in  view.  It  has  had  a  population  that  with  their  de- 
scendants remained  the  same  from  age  to  age,  and  so  its 
peculiar  influences  could  descend  unbroken  and  un- 
changed. It  has  been  left  to  itself,  without  outside 
influences  either  to  advance  or  to  retard.  It  has  had 
neither  worldly  patrons  to  give  it  a  spurious  growth  nor 
worldly  persecution  to  oppose  its  progress.  In  these 
respects  the  opj)ortunities  for  the  testing  have  been  com- 
plete, and  the  trial  of  the  Presbyterian  system  has  been 
as  perfect  as  can  ever  be  expected  on  earth. 

The  value  of  the  lessons  derived  from  this  liistory, 
therefore,  cannot  possibly  be  overestimated,  and  these 
lessons,  in  all  their  freshness  and  force,  are  now  before 
us  for  our  instruction.  So  abundantly  have  they  been 
established  by  the  history  which  we  have  gone  through 
in  detail  that  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  be  mistaken 


442  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

concerning  them.  They  pertain  to  living  issues  with 
which  we  have  to  do  at  the  present  time ;  they  pertain 
to  the  whole  round  of  our  principles,  doctrines  and 
duties ;  so  that  they  will  certainly  apply  to  every  case 
with  which  we  can  possibly  have  to  do. 

The  writer  would  not  dogmatize,  but,  having  his  own 
mind  fairly  saturated  with  the  spirit  of  the  history,  he 
would  present  the  impressions  made  upon  him  to  those 
who  have  not  had  the  same  opportunity  of  receiving 
them.  There  is  an  advantage  in  a  single  mind  having 
before  it  all  the  lessons  arising  out  of  a  history,  and 
thus  being  enabled  to  arrange  them  into  definite  form. 
In  presenting  the  lessons  of  this  history  under  the  fol- 
lowing arrangement,  it  is  proper  for  the  writer  to 
remark  that  he  has  not  fallen  back  on  the  unerring  ut- 
terances of  Scripture,  nor  has  he  merely  repeated  the 
maxims  of  human  experience  :  he  gives  simply  what  he 
has  gathered  from  the  history.  He  presents  no  point 
of  instruction  that  is  not  sustained  by  the  actual  facts. 


PEESERVING  CHURCH  RECORDS, 

This  point  will  be  the  first  presented,  because  in 
writing  the  history  the  writer  has  been  made  to  feel 
very  deeply  upon  the  subject,  inasmuch  as  there  is 
scarcely  one  of  our  old  churches  a  great  part  of  whose 
minutes  have  not  been  lost  beyond  all  hope  of  recov- 
ery. In  consequence  of  this  loss,  their  history  can  never 
be  completely  written.  Of  some  pastorates  of  thirty,  or 
even  forty,  years,  no  record  remains  save  the  names  and 
the  dates ;  even  the  names  of  many  elders  are  gone. 
Families  that  we  would  delight  to  honor  have  no  me- 
morial left,  and  important  events  have  no  appropriate 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE  YEARS.  443 

mention.  A  little  care  on  the  part  of  church  oflScers 
would  have  prevented  this  lamentable  loss. 

When  either  records  are  not  fully  written  or  the  book 
containing  them  is  thrown  aside  as  a  worthless  thing, 
little  is  it  considered  how  priceless  in  value  would 
these  records  become  in  after-years.  The  ciireer  of  a 
church,  like  the  life  of  a  person,  is  one  and  indivisible 
from  year  to  year ;  to  be  understood  and  aj)prcciated, 
it  must  be  viewed  as  an  entirety.  What  a  mutilated 
and  imperfect  thing  it  appears  if  a  large  part  of  its  his- 
tory has  passed  out  of  knowledge !  There  are  certain 
influences  or  causes  operating  in  the  present  which  had 
their  origins  in  the  past ;  how  sad  when  the  knowledge 
of  those  origins  is  lost  beyond  recovery !  There  is  a 
wholesome  curiosity  the  gratification  of  which  would  be 
a  great  delight,  and  which  would  certainly  have  an  ex- 
alting influence,  and  that  gratification  the  properly-kept 
records  alone  can  yield ;  for  ordinarily  such  records  af- 
ford the  only  reliable  and  abiding  information  concern- 
ing church  officers,  families  and  individual  members. 
And,  besides  all  else,  the  knowledge  of  the  past  is  a 
great  power  for  good  in  any  church.  The  recorded 
experience  of  the  fathers  is  a  guide  :  it  gives  impulses 
and  warnings,  the  eflfects  of  which  are  of  vast  im- 
portance in  the  hard  and  perplexing  work  of  the 
present. 

The  Presbytery  to  which  the  interests  of  all  its 
churches  are  committed  should  undoubtedly  take  some 
action  on  this  subject.  And  it  should  do  it  promptly, 
for  the  danger  of  losing  some  of  the  records  of  our 
fifty  churches  becomes  more  and  more  threatening 
every  year.  What  that  action  should  be  it  may  be 
difficult  to  determine,  but  the  welfare  of  our  churches 
demands  that  something  should  be  done.     Three  sug- 


444  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

gestions  may  open  the  way  for  the  devising  of  some- 
thing that  might  be  practicable :  (1)  An  immediate 
inquiry  might  be  instituted  as  to  the  present  condition 
of  the  records  of  each  church.  Are  they  all  in  exist- 
ence ?  Where  are  they  ?  Who  are  their  custodians  ? 
Are  they  perfectly  safe  ?  (2)  It  might  be  made  a  rule 
at  the  commencement  of  every  new  pastorate  to  have 
all  the  records  delivered  to  the  pastor,  and  then  to  hold 
him  responsible  for  their  safekeeping.  (3)  Would  it 
be  impracticable  to  procure  some  safe  building  or  fire- 
proof apartment  where  all  the  old  records  of  all  the 
churches  might  be  deposited,  and  so  kept  from  acci- 
dental destruction  and  the  dangers  resulting  from  negli- 
gence ?  As  a  case  in  point,  it  may  be  stated  that  the 
old  records  of  all  the  parishes  of  the  Established  Church 
of  Scotland  are  kept  in  a  fireproof  building  in  the 
city  of  Edinburgh. 

II. 

AN  AMERICAN  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  FOR  AMERICA. 

Our  meaning  on  this  point  is  that  in  the  way  through 
which  God  in  his  providence  has  led  this  Presbytery  as 
a  part  of  the  whole  Cliurch  during  ninescore  years,  he 
was  preparing  a  Presbyterian  Church  which  would  be 
suited  to  the  character  of  this  nation  when  both  should 
come  to  maturity.  If  ever  it  is  given  us  on  earth  to 
read  the  meaning  of  any  providential  events,  assuredly 
this  is  an  instance.  The  footsteps  of  God  have  been  so 
manifest,  so  many,  so  clearly  in  one  direction,  and  have 
so  certainly  concentrated  at  one  point,  that  we  cannot 
possibly  be  mistaken.  We  may  well  doubt  whether  a 
more  reliable  indication  of  so  sublime  a  fact  could  be 
found  in  all  modern  history.     It  is  so  deeply  interesting 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE  YEARS.  445 

and  important  for  us  to  realize  tliis  that  even  at  the  risk 
of  repetition  the  leading  and  most  discernible  of  the 
divine  footsteps  will  be  pointed  out.  Only  when  they 
are  considered  in  detail  and  their  dependence  upon 
each  other  is  studied  and  their  tinal  culmination  in  one 
great  event  is  properly  estimated  can  they  awaken  that 
surprising  impression  which  is  inevitable. 

(1)  The  first  step  was  the  gathering  together  here  of 
a  people  out  of  whom  to  form  the  new  Church  for  this 
land.  Was  it  not  siguificiuit  that  this  people  should 
have  been  gathered  from  the  best  types  of  European 
nationalities,  and  that  every  branch  of  them,  without 
exception,  should  have  been  tried  and  refined  by  the 
fires  of  persecution  ? 

(2)  Was  it  not  significant  that  the  same  sound  Cal- 
vinistic  faith  should  have  been  assured  to  this  collected 
people  from  the  teachings  jof  John  Knox,  of  the  Heidel- 
berg Catechism,  of  the  Synod  of  Dort,  of  the  West- 
minster Assembly,  of  the  halls  of  Trevecca  and  of  the 
school  at  Geneva? 

(3)  Was  it  not  significant  that,  the  people  being  col- 
lected and  the  creed  assured,  in  order  to  furnish  a 
needed  supply  of  educated  ministers  the  Log  College 
should  be  founded,  with  the  three  offshoots  therefrom, 
Nottingham,  Fagg's  Manor  and  Pequa? 

(4)  Was  it  not  significant  that  the  infant  Church 
should  then  have  a  wonderful  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  which  the  spirit  of  Wesley  and  the  Oxford 
Methodists  should  be  imparted  through  that  divinely- 
gifted  man  George  Whitefield  ? 

(5)  Was  it  not  significant  that  then,  the  system  being 
thus  matured,  there  should  be  raised  up  a  band  of 
apostolic  men,  chief  of  whom  were  the  ten  great 
preachers  from  the  Log  College,  who  should  teach  that 


446  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG  COLLEGE. 

system  throughout  the  whole  land  and  set  up  the  needed 
institutions  of  Christian  learning? 

(6)  Was  it  not  significant  that  the  new  Church,  being 
completely  formed  and  extended,  should  next  be  sub- 
jected to  the  annealing  or  tempering  process  of  the 
Great  Schism,  by  which  its  heterogeneous  elements  were 
homologated,  its  misunderstandings  cleared  up  and  the 
body  firmly  compressed  into  one? 

(7)  Was  it  not  significant  that,  all  else  being  pre- 
pared, there  should  be  given  to  the  Church  a  period,  a 
full  generation  in  length,  from  1758  to  1788,  in  which 
it  had  opportunity  to  take  root  and  to  become  firmly 
established  ? 

(8)  Was  it  not  significant  that,  the  nation  and  the 
Church  having  both  become  matured  by  an  equal  length 
of  time  and  a  similar  preparatory  process,  the  govern- 
ment of  the  nation  and  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Church  should  both  be  organized  at  the  same  time,  in 
the  same  place,  by  men  educated  largely  in  the  same 
Calvinistic  schools  and  on  principles  precisely  alike,  so 
far  as  similar  principles  were  possible  in  bodies  existing 
for  purposes  so  unlike? 

(9)  Was  it  not  significant  that  since  that  time  there 
has  followed  a  century  of  unprecedented  prosperity 
for  the  nation,  and  that  the  Church,  from  being  a  hand- 
ful, has  grown  to  be  the  largest  Presbyterian  body  in 
the  world? 

Is  there  any  possibility  of  our  mistaking  the  provi- 
dential meaning  of  all  this?  We  must  be  modest  in 
our  attempts  to  interpret  God's  providential  purposes ; 
but  if  all  this  process,  continued  so  long,  consisting  of 
so  many  converging  steps  and  with  the  one  great  object 
apparently  so  clearly  in  view,  does  not  force  us  to  the 
assured  conviction  that  this  peculiar  Church  was  in- 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE  YEARS.  447 

tended  for  this  peculiar  nation,  how  shall  we  ever  form 
any  opinion  concerning  current  providences? 

III. 

PRESBYTERIANISM  IMPERISHABLE. 

Another  of  the  lessons  to  be  learned  from  this  history 
is  that  Presbyterianism  is  imperishable.  By  this  dec- 
laration it  is  not  intended  to  assert  that  it  is  always  so, 
or  that  it  cannot  be  corrupted,  or  that  it  ever  lives  on 
without  divine  support.  But  it  means  to  declare  that 
when  left  to  itself,  free  from  outside  destructive  influ- 
ences and  in  a  fair  field,  it  is  so  sure  of  the  fulfillment 
of  the  divine  promise,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world,"  that  it  will  continue  on 
through  unlimited  periods.  So  surely  is  it  founded  on 
the  truths  of  God  that  it  will  always  be  enabled  to  hold 
on  its  way  indefinitely.  The  proof  of  this  from  our 
history  is  abundant. 

An  experimental  test  of  this  fact  is  one  which,  from 
the  nature  of  the  case,  can  very  rarely  be  made.  It 
requires  time  for  such  a  test,  and  protracted  time  in 
order  that  it  may  be  satisfactory.  In  the  long  life  of  our 
Presbytery,  extending  through  almost  two  centuries,  we 
have  an  exceedingly  favorable  opportunity  of  applying 
the  test,  and,  since  such  opportunity  is  so  rare,  we 
should  eagerly  improve  the  one  thus  offered.  Indeed, 
we  may  well  question  whether  the  whole  history  of  the 
Church  has  ever  afforded  a  better  instance  of  the  endur- 
ance of  any  system  of  faitli  than  is  furnished  by  the 
continuance  of  Presbyterianism  in  this  land. 

Presbyterianism  has  lived  during  all  these  years,  not 
because  it  was  free  from  all  impediments  that  could  ob- 
struct 'V  way  or  from  all  defects  in  its  members  that 


448  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

had  a  tendency  to  wear  it  out.  Like  all  things  earthly, 
it  was  exposed  to  the  wearing,  exhausting  influences  of 
time.  It  had  to  pass  through  violent  storms,  some  of 
which  wellnigh  destroyed  it.  The  restlessness  of  pro- 
fessed friends  sometimes  subjected  it  to  dangerous — at 
times  almost  fatal — experiments.  The  deceitful  in- 
fluences of  but  partially  sanctified  hearts  sometimes 
threatened  its  very  existence.  Nor  was  it  upheld  by 
any  special  human  supports.  It  has  had  no  government 
help,  no  patronage  from  the  great  of  earth — from  princes 
or  potentates.  There  was  no  cunningly  devised  hier- 
archy by  whose  shrewd  policy  it  was  sustained.  What- 
ever it  has  been,  it  has  been  of  itself,  as  a  part  of 
its  very  nature,  always  resting  upon  God  alone. 

In  this  way  it  has  been  enabled  to  continue  its  course 
for  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  years — almost  one- 
tenth  of  the  period  since  the  coming  of  our  Lord.  Had 
it  contained  in  itself  the  elements  of  decay,  it  had  been 
dissolved  long  ago.  Had  it  not  been  preserved  by  a 
vitality  imparted  by  its  divine  Head,  it  would  inevitably 
have  worn  out.  On  the  contrary,  however,  it  has  con- 
tinued for  generations  precisely  the  same  that  it  was  at 
the  beginning.  Not  one  essential  principle  has  changed, 
not  one  feature  which  God  gave  it  at  first  has  altered. 
Even  after  all  these  years  it  shows  no  symptoms  of 
decay.  Have  we  not  evidence  most  plain  that  our 
Presbyterian  system  is  one  which  God  himself  pre- 
serves ?  Has  it  not  endured  the  test  of  permanence  in 
the  past?  and  in  this  have  we  not  proof  that  the  hand 
of  the  Most  High  is  with  it  to  preserve  it  into  the  far- 
distant  future  ? 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE  YEARS.  449 

rv. 

PRESBYTERIANISM  FOR  THE  PEOPLE. 

Another  lesson  is  that  Presbvterianism  was  designed 
by  God  for  the  people.  The  people  composing  the 
churches  of  this  Presbytery  have  from  the  begin- 
ning possessed  at  least  a  fair  average  character  and  in- 
telligence. They  have  been  just  such  a  people  as  we 
would  desire  in  order  to  such  an  investisration  as  is  in- 
tended  under  this  head.  Moreover,  they  have  always 
been  contained  in  such  a  compact  territory  tliat  they 
could  easily  be  studied  and  their  religious  condition 
ascertained.  Still  further,  throu2;hout  their  generations 
they  have  continued  substantially  the  same  people  that 
formed  the  body  of  the  churches  at  the  beginning.  A 
large  part  of  the  families  which  were  found  in  the 
Presbytery  then  are  those  which,  running  down 
through  five  generations,  are  in  it  still.  In  an  extraor- 
dinary degree,  therefore,  we  can  trace  the  course  of  in- 
fluences which  have  marked  this  people  in  all  their 
history.  A  natural  identity  can  be  found  in  them 
in  all  places  and  times  which  fits  them  admirably  for 
such  an  investigation  as  we  have  in  hand. 

Now,  the  influence  of  our  Presbyterian  system  upon 
a  people  so  well  adapted  for  the  experiment,  the  reten- 
tion of  that  system  by  them  and  the  character  it  has 
developed  in  them  present  a  study  of  great  interest. 
That  system  formed  their  character  in  youth ;  it 
guided  them  in  busy  life,  ministering  to  their  integrity 
and  usefulness ;  it  sanctified  to  them  all  the  changes  of 
life ;  it  strengthened  them  in  the  day  of  temptation  ; 
it  consoled  them  in  afiliction ;  it  comforted  them  in  old 
age;  it  cast  cheering  light  over  the  grave,  and  it  up- 
held them  in  the  hour  of  death.     It  met  all  the  wants 

29 


450  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

of  their  souls  and  made  their  lives  what  they  were,  and 
that  not  merely  through  some  special  season  of  reviving, 
but  by  the  steady  influence  that  it  exerted  day  by  day, 
from  generation  to  generation.  It  was  the  very  thing 
needed  by  their  mental  and  moral  nature,  and  under 
its  teaching  they  became  a  people  remarkable  for 
their  intelligence,  their  stability,  their  virtue  and  their 
Christian  integrity.  Through  its  influence  they  individ- 
ually grew  in  grace,  and  they  increased  in  number  in 
proportion  to  the  whole  population.  They  found  by 
experience  that  this  system  of  gospel  truth  had  not 
deceived  them  by  holding  out  delusive  promises,  but 
that  it  had  the  same  happy  effects  from  age  to  age. 
So  fully  did  it  always  meet  their  wants  that  they  did 
not  become  weary  of  it  or  feel  any  desire  to  abandon 
it  for  some  other  system  that  might  seem  to  be  more 
attractive.  They  clung  to  it  throughout  their  various 
generations.  They  tested  its  excellences  for  themselves, 
and  they  would  not  let  it  go. 

Could  there  be  any  better  proof  than  all  this  that 
Presbyterianism  is  especially  adapted  to  the  people? 
Since  it  has  met  all  the  spiritual  needs  of  this  people 
so  fully,  and  they  have  ever  clung  to  it  with  the  most 
devoted  affection,  does  it  not  become  manifest  that 
Providence  intended  it  as  the  system  for  the  people? 


V. 

AN   EDUCATED   MINISTRY  THE  BULWARK   OF    THE 
CHURCH. 

Another  of  the  lessons  to  be  learned  is  that  a  thor- 
oughly educated  ministry  is  the  bulwark  of  the  Church. 
One  of  the  most  distinguishing  characteristics  of  our 
Presbyterianism,  from  the  beginning  of  our  history,  is 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NTXESCORE  YEARS.  451 

that  it  has  always  insisted  upon  its  ministers  being 
liberally  educated.  One  of  the  very  first  steps,  after 
the  formation  of  the  infant  Church,  was  the  setting  up 
of  an  institution  by  which  a  needed  sui)ply  of  such 
ministers  could  be  made  sure.  To  the  one  thus  estab- 
lished, similar  institutions  were  added  from  time  to 
time,  as  they  were  needed,  showing  that  the  fathers 
regarded  the  establishment  of  such  institutions  as  in- 
dispensable. 

The  good  and  great  men  who  planted  our  churches 
were  all  thoroughly  educated.  Says  Dr.  Alexander : 
"The  first  Presbyterian  ministers  in  this  country  were 
nearly  all  men  of  liberal  education,  and,  though  there 
existed  such  a  destitution  of  ministers  in  this  new  coun- 
try, they  never  thought  of  introducing  any  man  into 
the  ministry  who  had  not  received  a  college  or  university 
education,  except  in  very  extraordinary  cases — of  which, 
I  believe,  we  have  but  one  instance  in  the  early  history 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church."  In  succeeding  years  a 
similar  practice  has  been  observed.  It  has  ever  been  a 
law  of  the  Church  that  its  ministry  should  be  thor- 
oughly educated.  All  its  most  successful  pastors  have 
been  men  who  had  received  such  training  for  their 
office,  such  as  the  Tennents,  the  Treats,  the  Belvilles, 
the  Wilsons,  the  Steels,  the  Grays,  the  Andrews,  the 
Halseys,  and  multitudes  of  others  whose  names  need 
not  be  mentioned.  And  the  Lord  of  the  Church  has 
been  with  these  men  and  helped  them,  and  has  thus 
affixed  the  seal  of  his  approbation  to  the  practice  which 
his  providence  had  led  the  Church  to  adopt. 

So  firmly  was  this  principle  established  in  the  be- 
ginning of  our  history  that  those  providentially-raised 
men  to  whom  we  look  for  examj)le  would  not  depart 
from  it  even  when  greatly  tempted  by  a  sore  need  of 


452  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

more  ministers.  They  would  not  do  so  in  a  very  ex- 
ceptional case,  when  a  young  man  named  Evans,  pos- 
sessed of  many  eminent  qualifications  for  the  ministry, 
but  not  liberally  educated,  began  to  labor  without  the 
approbation  of  the  Presbytery.  He  was  censured  for 
preaching  without  a  license,  and  then  directed  to  under- 
take a  special  course  of  study  in  order  to  his  preparation 
for  the  ministerial  office. 

The  reasons  then  urged,  reasons  which  still  hold  good, 
are  obvious.  The  chief  work  of  the  minister  is  to  de- 
liver the  message  of  God,  to  make  it  plain  and  to  press 
it  home  upon  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  men.  To 
interpret  the  Scriptures  to  the  edification  of  others  de- 
mands that  a  man  should  be  well  trained  both  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  and  in  the  art  of  impart- 
ing that  knowledge  to  others.  Only  by  the  former 
training  can  he  understand  divine  truth  in  its  full- 
ness and  bring  out  of  the  treasury  of  the  word  of  God 
"  things  new  and  old  ;"  only  by  the  latter  can  he  meet 
the  scriptural  requirement  of  being  "  apt  to  teach," 

A  liberal  education  also  is  needed  that  the  mind  of 
the  teacher  may  be  strengthened  and  fitted  for  its  in- 
finitely momentous  work.  Mathematics  and  kindred 
logical  studies  are  of  importance  to  train  the  reasoning 
powers.  The  study  of  languages  is  needed  also  to  fit  a 
man  for  the  better  expression  of  his  thoughts.  All 
experience  proves  that  such  training  enlarges  the 
mind,  makes  it  sober,  substantial,  well  balanced,  and 
keeps  it  from  being  puffed  up.  And,  in  addition  to 
all  these  reasons,  we  have  the  example  of  our  divine 
Lord,  who  would  not  send  forth  his  apostles  on  their 
mission  to  the  world  until  he  had  first  trained  them 
for  years. 

With  these  teachings  before  us,  can  we  help  regard- 


TEACHiyOS  OF  THE  SiyESCORE  YEARS.  4o3 

ino;  with  great  sorrow  the  efforts  which  are  made  in 
some  quarters  at  the  present  time  to  secure  a  lowering 
of  the  standard  of  ministerial  education  ?  AVe  cannot 
think  that  those  who  would  bring  about  this  change 
fully  realize  what  they  are  doing.  •  An  effort  in  this 
direction  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century  rent  the 
Church  asunder ;  for  uinescore  years  the  minds  of  the 
wisest  of  our  ministry  have  been  fixed  against  any  low- 
ering of  the  existing  standard  ;  our  history  shows  that 
there  has  hardly  ever  been  any  variation  therefi'om  that 
was  not  most  unfortunate.  We  feel  sure  that  the  sub- 
ject would  not  be  reagitated  if  the  possible — indeed,  the 
probable — consequences  were  duly  weighed.  The  w-ant 
of  more  ministers  may  be  sorely  felt,  but  lowering  the 
standard  of  preparation,  all  ex[)erience  declares,  is  not 
the  way  to  supply  the  lack.  Temporary  expedients  of 
every  kind  are  always  hazardous.  Assuredly,  it  is  not 
now  the'  time  for  a  lower  degree  of  education  in  the 
ministry,  when  the  average  intelligence  of  the  people 
is  rising  higher.  It  would  be  suicidal  for  Presbyterians 
to  depress  their  standard,  when  Methodists,  Baptists,  and 
all  other  denominations,  are  raising  theirs. 

Would  it  not  be  wnser  to  study  carefully  and  employ 
the  remedy  given  by  our  Lord  for  this  very  evil? — 
"  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he 
will  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest."  Was  this 
injunction  intended  only  for  apostolic  days?  AVas 
there  not  a  depth  of  special  significance  in  it  which  the 
Church  has  not  yet  sounded?  Can  the  people  of  our 
Lord  go  to  his  throne  with  the  very  petition  which  he 
himself  has  put  in  their  mouths  and  he  not  heed  them? 
Most  assuredly,  to  use  the  means  which  Jesus  himself 
has  appointed,  and  not  to  adopt  a  scheme  of  doubtful 
expediency,  is  our  wisdom.    God  has  stamped  our  pres- 


454  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

ent  plan  with  the  seal  of  his  undoubted  approbation : 
we  cannot  adopt  any  other  without  fearful  risk. 

VI. 

THE  ELDERSHIP  ANOTHER  BULWARK  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

On  no  point  have  the  teachings  of  these  ninescore 
years  been  more  clear  and  instructive  than  on  that  of 
the  stability,  the  dignity  and  the  value  of  the  eldership 
in  our  Church.  No  reflection  has  impressed  itself  more 
deeply  on  the  mind  of  the  writer  than  that  as  a  people 
we  have  not  duly  appreciated  or  improved  this  ordained 
agency  for  conducting  the  affairs  of  our  portion  of  the 
kingdom.  Of  course  we  believe  that  it  is  an  office  estab- 
lished by  God  himself;  and  we  believe  that  it  is  a  fun- 
damental element  in  the  organization  of  the  Church, 
as  enjoined  in  the  Scriptures  of  divine  truth.  We  know 
that  it  is  the  feature  of  our  system  which  eminently 
distinguishes  it  from  all  others,  and  which  also  gives  it 
its  name. 

But  as  we  have  traced  the  history  of  our  churches 
we  have  seen  how  much  of  their  life  and  prosperity 
and  attractiveness  and  usefulness  has  depended  on  their 
elders.  There  is  no  class  of  men  more  worthy  of  high 
esteem  than  the  true  Presbyterian  elders;  they  are  a 
tower  of  strength  to  the  church  and  the  community 
wherein  God  may  have  placed  them.  As  a  class  they 
are  men  of  true  piety,  of  good  sense,  of  intelligence,  of 
high  reputation,  and  consequently  of  great  influence. 
Their  character  and  the  high  estimation  in  which  they 
are  held  by  the  community  are  manifest  from  the  im- 
portant trusts  which  are  so  often  committed  to  them. 
As  a  specimen  we  may  refer  to  the  fact  that  in  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania  a  large  number  of  its  most  honored 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NJNESCORE  YEARS.  455 

judges  have  been,  and  are,  men  who  have  been  or- 
dained to  this  sacred  office. 

In  every  sense  our  elders  are  one  of  the  bulwarks 
of  our  Church.  In  the  first  organization  of  a  church, 
in  its  feeble  infant  days,  in  the  inauguration  of  its 
various  enterprises,  in  the  choice  of  its  pastors,  in  car- 
rying it  through  the  trials  of  bitter  strifes,  the  elder  is 
the  reliance  established  by  divine  appointment.  On 
the  Sabbath  the  faithful  elder  is  as  certainly  in  his 
pew  as  is  the  pastor  in  the  pulpit ;  the  pastor  looks  for 
him  and  is  encouraged  by  his  presence  and  aided  in 
his  preaching  thereby.  His  presence  and  voice  and 
unfailing  interest  are  a  vital  element  in  the  weekly 
prayer-meeting ;  it  would  not,  in  fact,  be  the  prayer- 
meeting  without  him. 

To  the  pastor,  as  his  appointed  confidant  and  adviser, 
as  his  informant  concerning  the  wants  and  wishes,  the 
hopes  and  fears,  the  errors  and  prejudices,  of  the  peo- 
ple, as  his  defender  from  the  effects  of  all  misunder- 
standings and  misrepresentations,  as  his  aid  in  all  diffi- 
cult and  perplexing  duties,  the  elder  is  an  invaluable 
helper.  To  the  people  there  is  no  visitor  more  valu- 
able than  is  he,  for  he  listens  to  and  can  sympathize  in 
the  story  of  their  longings,  their  sorrows,  their  troubles 
and  their  wants.  His  voice  is  well  known  and  valued 
by  the  poor,  the  sick,  the  anxious,  the  erring  and  the 
inquiring.  To  the  church  he  gives  continuity  as  being 
with  it  uninterruptedly  while  his  life  lasts ;  he  imparts 
weight  to  its  counsels  from  his  long  experience  and 
superior  knowledge  of  its  people ;  he  secures  respect 
and  consideration  for  it  in  the  community  from  the 
influence  of  his  own  justly  esteemed  reputation.  As 
peacemakers  in  the  church,  helpers  in  every  good  word 
and  work,  friends  throughout  all  the  fiimilies,  counselors 


456  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

in  the  management  of  all  affairs,  standard-bearers  of  the 
cause,  attendants  and  participants  in  all  the  ordinances 
and  true  and  loyal  supporters  of  the  pastor,  we  cannot 
speak  too  highly  of  the  influence  of  faithful  elders. 

In  bearing  testimony  so  decided  we  are  not  merely 
depicting  men  of  ideal  excellences,  but  are  simply  re- 
lating what  we  have  learned  from  the  history,  and 
what  we  know  has  given  such  singular  success  to  some 
of  our  churches.  There  is  not  one  element  in  the  de- 
scription which  is  not  based  upon  instances  which  are 
clearly  before  our  mind.  We  could  very  easily  give 
the  names  and  the  churches — not  a  few — which  are  the 
models  that  we  have  chosen.  To  say  nothing  of  the 
living,  we  could  name  of  deceased  elders  a  Robert 
Pattison,  a  Morgan  Long,  a  Robert  Hamill,  a  Silas 
Weir,  a  Dr.  Beattie,  a  George  Castor,  a  Henry  Wil- 
liams, a  Thomas  McKeen,  a  David  Thomas,  a  Joseph 
Mitchell,  and  innumerable  others.  Without  any  feel- 
ing of  reservation  do  we  assert,  in  view  of  the  whole 
history  of  our  Presbytery,  that  it  could  not  have  had 
such  a  record  of  usefulness,  of  stability,  of  influences 
for  good,  of  blessing  for  the  whole  community  and  of 
constant  and  happy  progress  had  it  not  been  for  its 
faithful  elders.  We  can  think  of  no  really  prosperous 
churches  where  they  were  not  the  leaders ;  we  can  think 
of  none  in  which  faithful  elders  were  found  that  did 
not  prosper.  Need  we  repeat  that  this  is  the  clear  and 
unmistakable  testimony  of  long  and  ample  experience 
as  to  the  divine  wisdom  of  the  appointment  of  the 
eldership  as  an  element  of  our  church  organization? 

It  was  a  sad  day  for  our  Church  when  the  door  was 
opened  for  taking  the  crown  from  the  heads  of  our  elders 
by  a  system  of  rotation  in  ofiice,  when  it  became  possi- 
ble to  make  of  them  mere  committee-men,  and  when 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  XINESCORE   YEARS.  457 

thus  admission  was  given  to  possible  evils  by  their  los- 
ing the  weight  of  their  ordination  influence  and  the 
value  of  their  experience,  by  throwing  away  the  power 
of  their  established  official  character,  and  by  exposing 
the  churches  to  the  annual  convulsions  of  elections. 
We  rejoice  that  the  evils  of  this  step  are  more  and  more 
clearly  seen  to  be  as  a  deep  icound  to  our  whole  system. 
May  the  day  soon  come  when  that  wound  shall  be 
healed,  and  our  eldership  be  restored  to  the  dignity  of 
an  office  to  which  they  were  elected,  not  by  the  people 
merely,  but  ordained  of  God,  and  that  for  all  the  days 
that  may  be  allotted  them  on  earth. 

VII. 
HEREDITARY  PIETY. 
We  are  well  aware  that  the  term  "hereditary,"  as 
we  apply  it  here,  is  not  strictly  accurate,  yet  it  is  so  ex- 
pressive of  our  thought  that  we  venture  to  make  use 
of  it.  Piety  is  never  inherited  as  is  property  or  as  are 
personal  characteristics,  either  physical  or  mental  ;  but 
piety,  when  it  exists  in  parents  accompanied  by  true 
fidelity,  will  generally  be  found  in  the  children  also,  as 
the  result  of  God's  faithfulness  to  his  promises.  This, 
of  course,  we  believe  from  the  teachings  of  the  Script- 
ures ;  but  in  entering  upon  this  study  of  the  history 
of  our  Presbytery  we  felt  that  we  were  entering  upon 
another  method  of  reaching  the  same  truth,  anil  prob- 
ably the  best  illustration  of  the  method  in  all  modern 
times.  We  have  therefore  kept  this  subject  in  view 
throughout  all  our  work,  for  we  have  felt  that  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  point  at  issue  by  the  mode  contem- 
platetl  was  well  worth  our  whole  labor. 

Is  it  a  foct  that  as  a  general  rule,  by  the  divine  bless- 
ing, devoted  piety  descends  from  parents  to  children, 


458  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

and  that  from  generation  to  generation  to  an  unlimited 
extent  ?  There  are,  of  course,  but  two  ways  of  deter- 
mining the  answer  to  this  question — one  from  the 
affirmations  of  Scripture,  the  other  from  the  experi- 
ence of  believers  throughout  the  ao-es  of  the  Church. 
As  to  the  first — the  testimony  of  Scripture — it  does 
not  here  come  within  our  consideration ;  for  our  sole 
study  pertains  to  the  teachings  of  the  history  of  our 
Presbytery.  We  therefore  confine  our  investigations 
to  the  latter.  Does  the  experience  of  believers  con- 
firm the  truth  that  earnest  piety  descends  in  families 
from  generation  to  generation  ? 

Four  things  are  necessary  in  order  to  a  satisfactory 
induction  on  this  point:  (1)  The  investigation  must 
extend  over  a  long  period  of  time.  It  might  happen 
that  there  would  be  instances  of  such  descent  for  a 
generation  or  two ;  that,  however,  would  not  have  much 
weight.  (2)  A  large  number  of  families  must  be 
brought  under  review.  One  or  two  cases,  or  even  sev- 
eral, would  not  suffice  to  justify  us  in  inferring  a  gen- 
eral rule.  (3)  The  record  of  the  facts  must  have  been 
made  by  those  whose  testimony  can  be  relied  upon,  and 
must  have  been  accurately  preserved.  Mere  rumor  or 
tradition  would  have  but  little  authority,  (4)  There 
must  not  have  been  outside  influences  either  aiding  or 
hindering  in  the  production  of  the  contemplated  re- 
sult :  that  result,  if  apparent,  must  be  seen  as  springing 
from  covenant  relations. 

These  four  elements  of  a  satisfactory  induction,  how- 
ever, can  hardly  anywhere  be  found  in  conjunction. 
When  has  there  ever  been  a  portion  of  the  Church  in 
one  period  and  place  in  which,  in  order  to  such  induc- 
tion, there  was  a  sufficient  number  of  families  in  a  suc- 
cession of  many  generations,  a  reliable  record  kept  of 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  MNESCORE  YEARS.  459 

the  events,  and  no  extraneous  influences  either  to  help 
forward  or  prevent  the  work?  No  such  conjunction 
existed  at  any  time  in  Scotland  or  in  the  North  of 
Ireland  or  in  "Wales  or  in  Holland  or  in  New  England, 
or  in  any  place  of  which  we  have  knowledge — at  least, 
in  modern  times.  In  each  instance  some  one  or  more 
of  the  named  requisites  are  wanting.  In  no  instance 
but  in  this  which  we  are  considering  do  they  all  meet. 
Here  we  have  almost  two  centuries  of  time,  or  over  five 
generations ;  we  have  all  the  families  of  seven  or  eight 
churches ;  we  have  records  concerning  which  there  can 
be  no  doubt ;  and  there  were  no  persecutions  to  hinder, 
or  worldly  patronage  to  advance,  a  result  springing  from 
covenant  relations.  We  have,  therefore,  a  Ciise  of  the 
very  utmost  value  for  our  purpose. 

Now,  what  can  we  learn  from  the  careful  study  of 
the  history  of  this  Presbytery  as  to  the  question  of 
devoted  piety  descending  from  parents  to  children  from 
generation  to  generation  ?  We  may  first  look  at  the 
matter  in  its  more  general  aspect.  We  have  here  a 
collection  of  churches  which  have  stood,  some  of  them, 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  years,  and  all  of  them 
eightscore  years,  and  the  same  godly  families  which 
composed  the  body  of  them  at  the  beginning  compose 
the  bodv  of  them  still.  Does  not  this  fiict  alone  afford 
strong  reason  to  believe  that  the  }>iety  of  the  fathers 
went  down  from  generation  to  generation  throughout 
the  whole  period?  Again,  we  may  contemplate  the 
individual  households,  and  we  shall  reach  the  same 
conclusion.  The  names  of  families  can  be  given  in 
which  the  same  true  piety  can  be  traced  through  three 
generations,  four  generations,  five  generations,  six  gen- 
erations, seven  generations — even  ten  generations.  In 
all  of  those  families,  from  age  to  age,  there  have  been 


460  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

those  who  held  important  positions  as  either  ministers 
or  elders  or  deacons.  In  some  of  them  there  have  been 
unbroken  lines  of  elders  for  over  a  hundred  and  fifty 
years.  In  the  annals  of  some  of  them  we  find  lists  of 
from  five  to  ten  ministers,  and  a  still  larger  number  of 
elders.  To  aid  us  in  realizing  this  wonderful  fact  still 
more  fully,  the  names  of  some  of  these  old  families  in 
whose  generations  the  covenant  of  God  has  been  so  re- 
markably fulfilled  may  be  given.  Among  these  were 
the  McNairs,  the  Vanarsdalens,  the  Van  Zandts,  the 
Yerkes,  the  McKinstrys,  the  Castors,  the  Jamisons,  the 
Carrells,  the  Cravens,  the  Mearns,  the  Ralstons,  the 
Reeves,  the  Manns,  the  Henrys,  the  Griers,  the  Vande- 
grifts,  the  DuBoises,  the  Van  Horns  and  the  Wynkoops. 
All  these  families  we  can  follow  back  for  over  two  hun- 
dred years — some  of  them  in  lines  of  ten  generations  in 
every  one  of  which  there  were  either  ministers  or  elders 
or  deacons,  or  all  of  such  ofiicers.  And  there  are  still 
other  families  which  belong  to  this  history,  for  they 
sprang  from  the  Log  College.  Among  them  we  name 
the  Beattys,  the  Finleys  and  the  Blairs.  Where  else 
is  there  such  an  instance  as  that  of  a  sister  of  the  Blairs 
— sister  of  Drs.  Samuel  and  John  Blair,  wife  of  Robert 
Smith,  D.  D.,  of  Pequa,  and  mother  of  John  Blair 
Smith,  D.  D.,  president  of  Union  College,  and  of  Samuel 
Stanhope  Smith,  D.  D.,  president  of  Princeton  College? 
We  could  easily  add  many  to  these  instances,  but  it  would 
be  superfluous. 

Not  only  is  the  divine  promise  positive ;  but  the  fact  is 
certain,  as  manifested  by  the  history  of  this  Presbytery, 
that  true  piety  does  go  down  in  families  from  gener- 
ation to  generation  as  surely,  and  we  believe  in  as  many 
instances,  as  any  hereditary  type  of  blood  or  mind  or 
character.     And  there  are  causes  which  produce  this 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE  YEARS.  461 

result.  Not  that  piety  is  inherent,  but  that  the  pious 
instruction,  the  godly  example,  the  aflfeetionate  disci- 
pline, the  fervent  prayers,  and,  above  all,  the  covenant 
engagement  of  God  to  bless  the  children  for  the  father's 
sake,  are  just  as  sure  to  produce  it  as  is  any  cause  of 
which  we  can  possibly  conceive. 

The  right  appreciation  of  this  subject  is  a  matter  of 
inexpressible  j)ractical  importance. 

(1)  It  comes  in  to  confirm  the  covenant  engagement 
and  promise  of  our  gracious  Lord,  Listen  to  that  cov- 
enant and  the  promise  it  involves  :  "  Know  therefore 
that  the  Lord  thy  God,  he  is  God,  the  faithful  God, 
which  keepeth  covenant  and  mercy  with  them  that  love 
him  and  keep  his  commandments,  to  a  thousand  gener- 
ations." This  covenant  has  never  become  obsolete. 
Its  great  principle  is  as  imperishable  as  God  himself. 

(2)  It  comes  in  as  the  greatest  possible  comfort  to 
believing  parents.  God  does  not  forget  their  children. 
The  precepts,  prayers,  example  and  restraining  influ- 
ences of  faithful  fathers  and  mothers  will  tell,  most 
likely,  while  they  are  alive,  and  assuredly  after  they  are 
gone,  and  down  to  generations  yet  unborn.  The  cov- 
enant cannot  foil.  Parents  have  the  assured  pledge  of 
the  God  of  infinite  truth,  and  that  confirmed  by  all  the 
experiences  of  the  Church's  history.  On  this  tliey  may 
confidently  rest. 

(3)  It  comes  in  as  the  strongest  possible  incentive  to 
incite  unto  the  diligent  training  of  the  young  in  the 
principles  of  religion.  Here  we  see  how  God  has 
blessed  such  training,  and  how  much  it  will  accom- 
plish. Its  efficacy  has  not  worn  out.  And  here  an 
important  question  arises :  What  kind  of  religious 
training  was  it  which  has  proved  effective  ?  Most  of 
the  plans  extolled  in  these  modern  days  were  not  even 


462  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

thouglit  of  in  the  times  of  our  predecessors.  It  was 
the  old-fashioned,  God-ordained  method  of  the  family, 
the  Bible  and  the  Catechism.  Anything  which  is  cal- 
culated to  divert  from  these  must  be  regarded  with 
suspicion.  If  anything  tends  to  weaken  the  parents' 
sense  of  obligation,  to  induce  neglect  of  the  Bible  or 
to  cause  disuse  of  the  Catechism,  we  must  beware. 

Our  diligence  in  the  religious  training  of  the  young 
should  be  vastly  increased.  When  the  youth  of  the 
Church  are  thoroughly  grounded  in  the  gospel  of  Christ, 
stable  and  influential  characters  are  sure  to  follow.  Our 
history  makes  this  so  certain  that  it  cannot  be  ques- 
tioned. There  are  a  few,  very  few,  apparent  exceptions, 
but  this  is  the  ordinary  rule.  There  is  no  planting  or 
sowing  in  the  world  which  is  so  sure  to  produce  an 
abundant  harvest  as  this.  In  every  old  church  and  in 
the  entire  history  of  our  Presbytery  this  is  written  as 
with  God's  own  finger.  The  fruit  may  not  be  seen  at 
once — even  a  generation  may  sometimes  pass  without 
its  being  perceived — but  the  word  of  the  Lord  stands 
sure ;  and  even  to  the  third  and  fourth  and  tenth  gen- 
erations the  blessing  of  Heaven  will  surely  be  seen. 
That  blessing  will  come :  God  has  promised  it.  The 
whole  experience  of  these  ninescore  years  makes  mani- 
fest the  certainty  of  its  bestowal.  What  is  needed  in 
the  Church  is  not  the  emotion  of  an  hour  or  a  day  or  a 
year,  but  principle — abiding  principle  founded  on  God- 
revealed  truth.  This  is  the  supreme  lesson  of  our 
history,  as  if  written  with  a  pen  of  diamond. 

VIII. 
PEESBYTERIANISM  AND   EDUCATION. 
In  an  address  delivered  at  the  centennial  anniver- 
sary of  the  Frankford  church  in  1870  by  Dr.  McCosh, 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE  YEARS.  463 

president  of  Princeton  College,  there  were  remarks  on 
the  relation  between  Presbyterianism  and  education, 
which  we  may  cite  as  an  admirable  presentation  of 
its  general  aspects.  From  his  ripe  exj)erience  as  an 
educator,  and  from  his  personal  knowledge  of  Presby- 
terian churches  in  various  lands,  these  remarks  are  of 
priceless  value.  We  cite  them  only  in  their  substance: 
"We  believe  that  Presbyterianism  is  founded  on  the 
word  of  God,  and  is  agreeable  thereto.  It  was  bred 
in  a  mountain-country — Switzerland — transplanted  into 
Scotland,  came  to  the  North  of  Ireland,  and  thence 
was  transported  to  America,  and  has  taken  deep  root 
and  flourishes  here.  There  is  one  characteristic  of 
Presbyterianism  which  I  wish  especially  to  bring  be- 
fore you,  and  that  is  the  close  and  intimate  con- 
nection through  its  whole  history  that  has  existed 
between  it  and  education.  I  believe  Protestantism  is 
itself  favorable  to  enlightenment.  It  cannot  subsist 
except  among  a  people  taught  in  the  word  of  God. 
Presbyterianism — in  particular,  from  tlie  fact  that  it 
is  an  organic  system — at  an  early  date  saw  fit  to 
establish  a  system  of  schools :  lower  schools,  upper 
schools,  higher  schools  or  academies,  and  colleges.  It 
did  so  in  Geneva,  the  place  of  its  birth.  Traveling  in 
Switzerland,  you  can  tell  whether  you  are  in  a  Protest- 
ant canton  or  in  a  Roman  Catholic  canton  by  five  min- 
utes' conversation.  But  the  system  of  elementary  edu- 
cation was  first  organized  in  Scotland.  The  principle 
that  every  parish  ought  to  have  a  school  and  that  every 
child  has  a  right  to  be  educated  was  undoubtedly  first 
announced  by  John  Knox,  and  not  only  did  he  an- 
nounce this  as  a  speculative  principle,  but  he  put  it  into 
execution  ;  and  when  he  died,  there  was  a  school  in 
every  parish  except  a  few  of  the  most  remote,  and  an 


464  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

academy  in  eveiy  important  town,  and  no  less  than  four 
universities  in  that  comparatively  small  country." 

Such  has  been  the  general  characteristic  of  our  Pres- 
byterianism  as  to  its  affiliation  with  sound  learning, 
but  how  has  it  been  with  our  own  Presbytery  in  par- 
ticular in  reference  to  the  same  spirit?  Has  it  been 
true  to  the  traditions  of  the  whole  Church  in  this 
respect  ?  Has  its  experience  been  such  as  to  add  to  the 
whole  mass  of  experience  which  proves  that  this  is  of 
the  very  nature  of  our  system  ? 

To  this  question  our  history  enables  us  to  give  an 
answer  in  the  affirmative,  most  positive  and  emphatic. 
We  had  prepared  a  list  of  educational  institutions  of 
every  grade  to  present  as  proof,  but  it  is  too  long  for  in- 
sertion here,  and  we  must  therefore  confine  ourselves  to 
mere  specimens.  Our  old  territory  proper  had  but  few 
towns  large  enough  for  the  higher  institutions  of  learn- 
ing, yet  in  it  was  the  Log  College,  the  mother  of  all 
such  institutions  in  our  whole  Church.  Of  academies 
we  must  name  the  "Hill  School"  of  Pottstown,  Mr. 
Long's  academy  of  Neshaminy,  the  academy  of  New- 
town, the  Tremont  Academy  of  Norristown,  and  many 
others.  Of  seminaries  for  young  ladies  we  have  had 
the  peerless  "Oakland  Female  Institute"  of  Norris- 
town, Belville  Seminary  of  Neshaminy,  Dr.  Gosman's 
seminary  of  Doylestown,  and  still  others.  Of  pastors 
who  associated  teaching  with  their  ordinary  parochial 
work  we  could  instance  Pauli  and  Biggs  of  Frankford, 
Andrews  of  Doylestown,  Steel  of  Abington,  Stead  of 
Bridesburg,  Rodenbaugh  of  Norriton,  and  a  long  list 
of  others.  As  to  common  schools  founded  by  churches 
and  sustained  by  them  in  the  early  years,  they  were 
almost  as  numerous  as  the  churches  themselves.  In 
many  instances  the  Presbyterian  parochial  school  sup- 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE  YEAES:  465 

plied  all  the  elementary  education  for  the  neighborhood. 
The  old  academy  of  the  Frankford  church,  for  insUince, 
for  many  years  after  1800  was  the  only  school  in  the 
place ;  to  it  all  resorted,  and  it  was  sustiiined  by  the 
trustees  of  the  church  by  greater  efforts  than  were  ne- 
cesssry  in  order  to  collect  funds  to  defray  the  ordinary 
expenses  of  the  congregation.  Such  were  the  facta  all 
through  the  generations  of  our  history.  And  such  is 
the  spirit  still.  We  could  name  a  single  church  at  the 
present  time  over  twenty  of  whose  members  are  public 
school-teachers. 

Why  this  should  be  so  we  may  not  be  able  to  explain 
in  full,  but  the  very  genius  of  our  system  seems  to  re- 
quire light  for  its  highest  development.  The  system  is 
founded  on  intellectual  as  well  as  on  moral  and  relig- 
ious truth,  and  must  have  intelligence  in  its  members. 
Certainly  no  system  is  so  much  in  need  of  light  to  vin- 
dicate it  from  the  misunderstandings  and  misrepresenta- 
tions of  enemies  as  is  ours,  which  strictly  follows  the 
truth  as  it  came  from  God,  even  when  that  truth  clashes 
with  the  preconceptions  of  the  natural  heart.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  historic  experience,  there  is  no  question  but  that 
the  prevalence  of  sound  learning  in  our  Presbytery  has 
contributed  much  to  give  us  our  success  and  stability. 

IX. 
INFLEXIBLE  ADHERENCE  TO  THE  TRUTH. 

What  would  be  the  ultimate  effect  of  setting  up  the 
truth  as  the  standard  of  preaching  and  worship — the 
truth  alone — and  adhering  to  it  without  any  attempts 
at  softening  down  or  modifying  it  into  conformity  with 
the  currents  of  human  thought  or  the  tendencies  of  the 
times?  This  is  an  important  question,  and  probably 
there    never  was  a  better  opportunity  for    giving    an 

30 


466  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

answer  than  from  this  history.  In  1729  the  West- 
minster Standards  were  adoj)ted  by  the  Church,  and 
during  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  years  since  there  has 
never  been  an  effort  to  depart  from  them  even  in  the 
slightest  degree.  Nor  were  they  adhered  to  in  blind, 
unreasoning  prejudice,  for  twice  at  least  have  great 
storms  swept  the  Church  and  shattered  it,  causing  the 
very  foundations  to  shake,  but  not  an  inroad  has  been 
made  upon  the  old  faith. 

And  what  has  been  the  result  ?  The  answer  is  writ- 
ten on  these  pages  with  an  emphasis  that  is  absolutely 
wonderful.  The  faith  which  centuries  have  tested  is 
the  faith  of  the  present  day.  The  little  grouj)  of 
churches  which  formed  the  Presbytery  a  hundred  years 
ago  has  now  become  five  groups,  each  one  of  which  is 
larger  than  was  the  original.  During  the  fifty  years 
jmst  there  have  been  forty  new  churches  commenced. 
In  the  space  of  forty  years  the  increase  in  the  number 
of  our  communicants  has  been  such  that  whereas,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  period,  we  had  but  one  member  in 
seventy-two  of  the  population,  we  now  have  one  in  forty. 
Could  there  possibly  be  a  better  test  of  the  effect  of  the 
truth  alone — the  truth  without  any  other  aid  than 
that  which  its  Author  gives  it  wherever  it  is  made 
known  ? 

On  the  other  hand,  what  would  have  been  the  his- 
tory had  the  truth  been  tampered  with,  experiments 
attempted  and  errors — even  little  ones — admitted?  We 
can  answer  only  from  what  errors  have  wrought  out  in 
other  places  and  times :  they  have  upset  well-founded 
systems ;  they  have  brought  into  the  house  of  God 
wretched  absurdities,  gross  corruptions  and  irreligion ; 
they  have  created  bitter  alienations ;  they  have  rent 
churches  asunder  and  blighted  their  usefulness;  they 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NiyESCORE  YEARS.  -KJ? 

have  cut  good  people  adrift  from  their  faitli  ;uk1  good- 
ness ;  they  have  raised  up  bodies  of  infidels ;  and  then 
they  have  themselves  died  out,  leaving  behind  them, 
however,  seared  and  blasted  tracks  of  ruin  and  woe. 
All  kinds  of  experiments  have  been  made,  but  they 
have  all  been  most  hazardous;  they  have  all  been  worse 
than  failures.  The  truth  cannot  be  improved  on ;  God's 
plans  cannot  be  amended. 

Be  it,  therefore,  the  inflexible  purpose  of  every 
Christian,  every  church  and  every  body  of  churches 
to  cling  with  a  grasp  that  will  not  be  relaxed  to  the 
truth,  the  truth  alone,  to  the  whole  truth — to  the  truth 
in  doctrine,  in  worship  and  in  practice.  We  can  afford 
to  be  branded  with  old-fogyism :  if  old-fogyism  can  do 
what  this  history  shows  us  has  been  done,  we  may  well 
be  proud  of  the  name.  We  may  well  say,  especially 
to  those  who  are  near  to  the  commencement  of  their 
course.  Cling  to  the  truth,  pure  and  simple — to  the 
truth,  and  not  to  mere  feelings,  impressions,  sentiments; 
to  the  truth,  and  no  tampering  with  falsehood  ;  to  the 
truth:  it  is  heaven-born ;  to  the  truth  :  it  is  from  God, 
and  he  knows  best  what  we  should  believe  and  what  do; 
to  the  truth :  it  has  been  well  tested  by  many  a  genera- 
tion ;  to  the  truth  :  it  is  a  rock  upon  which  our  all  both 
for  time  and  eternity  may  be  rested  ;  to  the  truth  :  it  is 
sure  to  bring  after  it  the  rich  blessings  of  its  Author. 
Lei  us  cling  to  the  truth,  wherever  it  may  lead  us  ! 

X. 

PRESBYTERY  RESPONSIBLE   FOR   ITS   FIELD. 
Very  few  of  us  have  a  sufficiently  deep  impression 
of  the  weight  of  obligation  which  rests  upon  the  Pres- 
bytery, as  such,  to  cultivate  the  territory  within   its 
bounds   by  the   planting  of  new  churches.      By   his 


468  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

providence  God  lias  placed  us  here,  and  has  made  this 
the  special  field  of  our  work.  Who  will  cultivate  it  by 
the  planting  of  Presbyterianism — which  we  believe  to 
be  the  nearest  of  all  systems  to  the  truth — if  we  do  not? 
We  are  always  in  danger  of  overlooking  that  which  is 
near  and  easy  of  access,  and  of  appropriating  our  con- 
tributions for  work  in  fields  that  are  more  remote.  Not 
for  a  moment  should  we  harbor  the  thought  that  any 
part  of  our  territory  is  hopeless.  What  it  is  possible 
for  us  to  accomplish  should  be  emphatically  impressed 
upon  us  by  the  measure  of  success  we  have  experienced 
in  the  past,  even  through  the  very  imperfect  efforts  that 
we  have  already  made. 

The  work  to  which  the  pastor  is  called  is  not  by  any 
means  limited  by  the  bounds  of  his  own  congregation ; 
it  is  selfish  for  him  to  think  so.  There  are  regions  be- 
yond, and  who  is  to  look  after  these  ?  He  is  a  watch- 
man upon  the  walls  of  Zion,  and  desert-plains  lie  around 
him ;  he  is  a  leader,  and  these  are  the  fields  over  which 
the  soldiers  of  God  are  to  be  conducted.  The  whole 
territory  of  the  Presbytery  should  be  kept  in  view  by 
each  one  of  the  band  of  pastors  whom  the  Great  Cap- 
tain has  placed  therein.  The  sight  of  desolate  fields 
should  prompt  to  action. 

There  are  two  modes  in  which  the  appropriate  work 
of  Presbytery  in  reference  to  the  destitute  portions  of 
its  territory  may  be  conducted.  One  method  is  for  each 
pastor  to  look  after  the  neighborhood  immediately  adja- 
cent to  his  own  congregation.  Where  is  there  a  church 
near  to  which  some  preaching-station  or  stations  might 
not  be  set  up  ?  Two  or  three  families,  or  even  but  one, 
might  be  found  who  would  take  the  lead  and  open  a  pri- 
vate house,  if  need  be,  for  services ;  and  then  the  pastor 
could  aid  by  preaching  weekly  or  monthly  at  such  hours 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  yiSESCORE  YEARS.  469 

as  might  be  deemed  best.  There  are  few  of  our  pastors, 
especially  of  our  younger  ones,  who  could  not  easily  as- 
sume such  additional  services.  In  this  way  many  a  nu- 
cleus of  a  church  might  be  collected,  the  foundations 
laid  and  the  way  prej)ared.  Many  of  our  more  recent 
organizations  had  precisely  such  an  origin.  Never 
should  any  pastor  be  without  such  an  enterprise  at 
heart,  and,  if  possible,  on  hand. 

Another  method  might  be  for  the  Presbytery,  as 
such,  to  concentrate  its  efforts  upon  some  point  that 
lies  remote  from  any  particular  church.  It  might  sur- 
vey the  field,  contrive  to  have  stated  services  established 
and  detail  its  own  members  to  preach  in  turn,  and  so 
continue  until  the  enterprise  should  be  ripened  for  an 
organization.  Then  another  similar  point  might  be 
taken  up,  and  another  and  another ;  and  never 
should  the  Presbytery  be  without  one  or  more  such 
enterprises.  Thus  would  new  churches  arise  without 
expense  to  the  Boards,  the  entire  field  be  gradually 
covered  and  this  home-work  be  made  to  prosper.  This 
is  easy,  it  is  practical,  it  is  inexpensive ;  it  would  be  of 
great  benefit  to  our  pastors  as  well  as  to  our  people,  and 
one  of  Presbytery's  first  and  most  momentous  duties 
would  be  fulfilled. 

xr. 

EVILS  OF  SHORT  PASTORATES. 
There  are  churches  in  the  Presbytery  not  a  few 
which  for  a  long  time  have  been  kept  back  from  a 
satisfactory  measure  of  growth  chiefly  because  of  fre- 
quent change  of  pastors.  Possibly  these  churches  do 
not  see  the  cause  of  the  stagnation  in  their  life,  but, 
viewed  from  the  outside,  it  is  not  difKcult  to  perceive 
that  there  could  not  be  much  progress,  while  ever  and 


470  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

anon  there  came  such  a  shock  to  all  their  plans  and 
efforts  as  is  occasioned  by  a  dissolution  of  the  pastoral 
relation.  The  survey  of  all  our  churches  which  the 
preparation  of  this  history  rendered  necessary  furnishes 
an  excellent  opportunity  of  calling  attention  to  what 
has  become  a  most  serious  drawback  to  our  cause. 

Among  the  numerous  evils  arising  from  frequent 
changes  in  the  pastorate  of  a  church,  the  following 
may  be  mentioned : 

(1)  The  church  is  kept  in  a  restless,  unsettled  state. 
At  each  change  old  plans  of  work  and  worship  gen- 
erally are  abandoned  and  new  ones  introduced.  The 
loss  of  a  pastor  is  itself  a  great  shock  to  a  congrega- 
tion, and  frequently  contentions  and  alienations  arise 
during  the  effort  to  secure  another.  The  evils  con- 
sequent upon  such  changes  are  far  greater  with  us 
than  in  the  Methodist  Church,  where  they  are  made 
systematically,  and  consequently  are  expected  and 
arranged  for. 

(2)  Frequent  changes  in  the  pastorate  prevent  deep 
and  permanent  foundations  from  being  laid.  The  pas- 
tor, warned  by  the  past  history  of  his  church,  does  not 
lay  out  his  plans  for  training,  especially  the  young, 
as  if  he  expected  in  future  years  to  reap  the  fruits 
of  his  laboi'S.  There  is  danger  that  all  work  shall 
be  performed  merely  for  the  present,  and  consequently 
that  many  of  the  best  effects  of  our  system  shall  fail 
of  being  realized. 

(3)  The  formation  of  the  peculiar  and  affectionate 
confidence  that  should  exist  between  pastor  and  peo- 
ple is  almost  certainly  prevented.  Such  confidence  is 
one  of  the  mightiest  powers  for  giving  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  its  most  blessed  success.  Its  growth,  however, 
is  necessarily  the  work  of  time.     By  the  separation  of 


TEACH INGS  OF  THE  MyESCORE  TEARS.  471 

those  between  whom  it  shoukl  exist,  as  it  is  fonning  or 
just  as  it  is  ripening  into  fullness  of  strength,  it  will 
be  blasted. 

(4)  Frequent  change  is  calculated  to  diminish  the 
imj)ression  upon  the  community  of  the  dignity  and 
sacredness  of  the  pastoral  relation.  The  connection 
between  the  pastor  and  people  is  an  ordinance  of  God, 
and  is  designed  to  be  an  important  agency  in  building 
up  the  church  through  the  edification  of  believers  and 
the  conversion  of  the  impenitent ;  but  when  it  is  broken 
every  year  or  two,  much  of  this  power  is  gone. 

(5)  Serious  injury  frequently  results  to  ministers 
from  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation.  In  some 
cases,  indeed,  it  is  in  order  to  their  removal  to  situa- 
tions of  greater  comfort  and  usefulness ;  in  many  in- 
stances, however,  it  results  in  unsettling  them  for  a 
long  time,  and  so  of  exposing  them  to  numberless 
hardships.  The  writer  has  in  mind  one  case  where  a 
pastor  of  an  exceedingly  attractive  country  charge  left 
his  field  because  of  an  estrangement  with  a  single  elder, 
and  after  that  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  almost 
without  a  charge  or  a  home.  He  knew  of  another,  a 
prominent  man  in  the  Church,  who  in  his  old  age 
mourned  that  once  he  had  been  induced  unwisely  to 
give  up  a  most  desirable  pastoral  charge,  thus  render- 
ing his  whole  subsequent  life  a  failure. 

As  a  matter  of  sad  experience  it  is  found  that  when 
there  are  frequent  changes  in  the  pastorate  of  any 
church,  that  church  becomes  restless  and  unsettled,  plans 
of  usefulness  are  not  continued,  enterprises  for  advan- 
cing the  cause  of  Christ  are  not  undertaken,  strifes  are 
engemlered,  disci])line  is  not  attempted,  foundations  are 
not  laid  deep ;  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  such  churches 
are  rarely,  if  ever,  among  those  that  j)rosper. 


472  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

XII. 
EVILS  OF  CHURCH  STRIFES. 

There  is  nothing  more  detrimental  to  the  prosperity, 
the  happiness,  the  beauty  and  the  usefulness  of  a 
church  than  are  parties,  contentions,  strifes,  among  its 
members.  They  are  sadly  common,  and  it  is  not  very 
difficult  to  give  the  reasons.  The  interests  of  the  soul 
and  of  eternity  are  so  overwhelmingly  important  that 
earnest  men  are  liable  to  become  greatly  excited  when 
such  matters  are  brought  under  discussion.  And,  still 
further,  the  body  of  the  members  of  a  church  is  com- 
posed of  such  a  diversity  of  people  that  it  would  be 
strange  if  it  was  not  sometimes  agitated  by  misunder- 
standings and  controversies.  Our  history  exhibits  the 
sad  fact  that  such  liability  does  exist.  There  are  no 
darker  pages  in  our  ecclesiastical  records  than  those 
which  are  filled  with  the  long,  weary,  bitter,  yet  unnec- 
essary, contentions  which  have  blurred  our  otherwise 
fair  history.  Yet  we  probably  have  less  to  lament  than 
many  other  Christian  bodies. 

Some  of  these  evils  the  writer  feels  bound  to  expose. 
He  has  not  even  alluded  to  them  in  the  body  of  this 
work,  and  he  would  not  mention  them  in  this  place 
did  not  a  sense  of  duty,  induced  by  what  he  has  seen 
in  the  study  of  the  records,  constrain  him  to  do  so.  He 
has  seen  church  strifes  producing  such  an  atmosphere 
of  animosity  that  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
seemed  to  have  been  withdrawn.  He  has  seen  them  lead- 
ing to  such  utter  disregard  of  the  urgent  and  repeated 
exhortations  of  Scripture  to  cultivate  the  spirit  of  peace 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  wounded  in  the  house  of  his 
friends,  sad  reproach  brought  upon  the  cause  of  Christ, 
opportunity  given  the  enemy  to  gloat  over  the  deformi- 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NIXESCORE   YEARS.  473 

ties  of  Christians,  the  blush  of  sliiiino  brougiit  into  the 
faces  of  the  true  friends  of  Christ  even  in  other  com- 
munions, sore  animosity  introduced  into  families  where 
nothing  but  love  should  reign,  and  in  the  end  the  fruit 
of  long  years  of  faithful  labor  destroyed  in  a  few  short 
weeks.     Alas !  this  is  no  imaginary  picture. 

Some  of  the  actual  facts  which  have  passed  before 
the  view  of  the  writer  are  inexpressibly  painful  to  relate. 
He  has  seen  no  less  than  ten  churches  wounded  and 
rent  and  suffering  for  years.  He  has  seen  churches 
that  were  flourishing  and  happy  reduced  in  a  few  sad 
weeks  to  weakness  and  wretchedness.  He  has  seen  such 
deplorable  effects  produced  by  internal  strifes  that  it 
has  taken  a  whole  generation  to  restore  the  churches  to 
what  they  once  were.  He  has  seen  churches  so  crip- 
pled that  their  whole  subsequent  course  was  one  long 
struggle  merely  to  live.  He  has  seen  alienations  pro- 
duced that  were  never  healed.  One  sad  case  rises  be- 
fore his  mind  of  a  man  who  at  one  time  was  ardent  and 
apparently  true  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  but  who  became 
so  exasperated  and  soured  that  his  life  was  blighted ; 
and  fiftv  vears  afterward  his  unhealed  wounds  made 
him  bitter  and  wretched  even  on  his  death-bed. 

What  lessons  concerning  such  strife  should  be  learned, 
especially  by  pastors !  Let  anything  in  the  wide  world 
short  of  sinning  be  done  to  avert  them.  Let  anv  wrongs 
and  self-denials  be  endured  rather  than  encourage  them. 
Let  any  sacrifice  short  of  principle  be  made  rather  than 
engage  in  them.  If  they  must  be  engaged  in,  let  it  be 
under  the  pressure  of  principle,  and  not  of  temper;  let 
not  conscience  be  made  the  scajiegoat  for  sinful  |ia>.*ion. 
One  such  strife  in  a  church  mav  do  more  harm  than 
the  whole  life  of  an  ordinary  pastor  can  remedy.  If 
the  bitter  alternative  should  ever  arise,  let  a  man  give 


474  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

up  the  ministry  rather  than  take  the  lead  in  them. 
*'  Tlie  servant  of  the  Lord  must  not  strive."  These 
things  are  written  considerately,  in  view  of  the  whole 
history  of  the  Presbytery. 

XIII. 

DANGER  OF  WARRING  AGAINST  THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD. 

Another  lesson  which  the  records  of  the  churches  of 
this  Presbytery  abundantly  teach  is  that  it  is  a  most 
dangerous  thing  for  any  one  to  take  a  position  of  hos- 
tility to  God,  to  his  Church  or  to  his  ministers.  It  is 
on  the  very  surface  of  these  records  that  God  does  not 
hold  such  persons  guiltless  even  in  this  world.  The 
writer  recognizes  that  this  world  is  not  the  place  of 
retribution,  but  he  also  believes  that  there  areexcep-. 
tions  wherein  the  divine  displeasure  is  especially  mani- 
fested in  the  present  life  against  certain  offences  that  are 
peculiarly  heinous.  He  long  entertained  a  very  strong 
conviction  of  this  awful  fact;  but  when,  in  the  providence 
of  God,  he  was  led  to  give  special  attention  to  an  un-  i 

doubted  instance  of  such  exceptions  in  Scripture,  his 
belief  became  most  positive.     "  For  this  cause  many  are  -s 

weak  and  sickly  among  you,  and  many  sleep."  If  Paul 
knew  that  "  the  prevailing  sickness  and  frequent  deaths 
among  the  Christians  of  Corinth  were  a  judgment  from 
God  on  account  of  the  irreverent  manner  in  which  they 
had  celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper,"  is  it  not  certain  that 
similar  judgments  may  be  witnessed  in  the  Church  at 
the  present  day  ?  , 

Warring  against  God's  Church  and  God's  servants  is  j 

undoubtedly  one  form  of  such  heinous  offence,  and  the 
I  fact  of  God's  present  judgments  coming  upon  those  en- 

gaging in  such  warfare  is  engraved  upon  our  whole 


TEACHINGS  OF  Till':  yiSESCORE  YEARS.  475 

annals.  Tlie  writer  coukl,  were  it  proper,  tell  of  one 
who  declared  his  purpose  fixed  immovably  to  effect  the 
banishment  of  his  pastor  from  his  charge,  but  before 
a  fortnight  ended  he  was  himself  by  a  mysterious  dis- 
ease summoned  into  eternity.  lie  could  tell  of  another 
who  was  found  a  corpse  in  the  dust  of  the  road  on  a 
Sabbath  morning  after  a  renewed  assertion  of  his  bitter 
hatred  toward  the  minister  who  had  been  a  faithful  ex- 
pounder to  him  of  the  word  of  life.  He  could  tell  of 
another  who  persistently  refused  to  cease  from  foment- 
ing strifes  and  animosities  in  the  church  until  he  was 
suddenly  prostrated  by  a  broken  thigh  that  could  not 
be  healed,  and  that  laid  him  on  his  bed  a  suffering  in- 
valid all  the  remaining  years  of  his  life.  Other  instances 
of  divine  retribution  could  be  mentioned,  but  they  were 
so  remarkable  that  even  an  allusion  to  them  would 
involve  such  exposures  as  it  would  not  be  proper  to 
make.  Many  such  cases  do  the  unpublished  records 
of  this  Presbytery  reveal — so  many  that  there  can 
scarcely  be  a  question  but  that  it  is  a  feature  of 
God's  providential  government  often  to  punish  in 
this  world  those  who  war  against  the  Church  and 
its  ministers.  So  thoroughly  convinced  is  the  writer 
of  this,  even  from  the  teaching  of  the  records  he  has 
had  under  review,  that  he  would  not  dare  to  oppose 
the  cause  of  Christ  were  he  influenced  by  no  other 
motive  than  dread  of  earthly  consequences. 

XIV. 

THE  FALLS  OF  MINISTERS. 

The  teaching  of  this  history  on  "  the  falls  of  minis- 
ters "  we  must  consider  as  very  significant.  It  is  also 
very  timely,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  in  this  d.iy  there  is 


476  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

a  great  outcry  made  concerning  the  alleged  hypocrisy 
and  flagrant  sins  of  ministers.  Such  alleged  crimes 
are  paraded  in  the  public  press ;  they  are  often  shame- 
fully exaggerated ;  they  are  held  up  to  the  disparage- 
ment of  the  Church,  and  outcries  against  them  are 
heard  throughout  the  whole  land.  But  what  is  the 
testimony  of  our  history  concerning  the  falls  of  those 
who  have  been  ordained  to  the  sacred  office?  This  is 
testimony  on  which  we  can  rely,  for  it  is  not  mere  in- 
sinuation or  surmise  or  indulgence  in  idle  and  slander- 
ous condemnation. 

The  writer  has  carefully  examined  all  the  records  of 
the  Presbytery  ;  not  one  page  or  paragraph — nor,  as  he 
believes,  one  sentence — has  escaped  his  eye.  He  has 
gone  over  them  twice,  to  make  the  examination  the  more 
thorough,  and  has  had  his  attention  specially  directed 
to  this  point  from  the  first.  This  is  the  result  of  his 
investigation :  In  what  may  be  called  the  modern  his- 
tory of  the  Presbytery,  commencing  in  1833,  the  min- 
utes began  to  be  fully  kept,  and  in  all  the  fifty-five 
years  since  that  time,  of  ministers  deposed,  or  even 
arraigned  for  offences  of  any  kind,  there  were  only 
two.  One  of  these  was  a  man  in  whom  eccentricity 
amounted  almost  to  insanity,  and  whom  it  is  hardly 
proper  to  count.  In  reality,  there  was  but  one. 
Only  one  arraigned  for  offence  of  any  kind  out  of  a 
body  of  ministers  ranging  in  average  number  from  fif- 
teen to  fifty-six,  and  that  during  a  period  of  over  half 
a  century ! 

This  tells  the  story.  A  body  like  this,  which  we  may 
take  as  a  fair  sample  of  the  whole  ministry,  in  a  period 
of  fifty-five  years  having,  at  most,  but  two  members 
that  were  subjected  to  discipline !  What  a  record ! 
Why  will  the  enemy  continue  to  slander  ?     Why  will 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE  TEARS.  477 

friends  continue  to  give  credence  to  defamatory  reports 
that  can  but  damage  the  cause  of  Christ  ? 


XV. 

PREACHING  THE  WORD  ONLY. 

The  whole  experience  of  this  Presbytery  is  that  the 
men  who  made  the  holy  word  the  substance  of  their 
sermons,  their  texture,  their  warp  and  woof,  were  the 
men  who  built  up  the  strong  congregations,  held  the 
long  pastorates,  did  a  work  which  will  last  for  ever; 
these  were,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  term,  the  success- 
ful, the  honored,  the  happy  pastors.  This  is  an  experi- 
ence which  to  make  distinct  and  prominent  is  worth 
the  whole  labor  of  writing  this  history.  Other  pastors 
who  delivered  essays  on  religion  and  morals  or  flashed 
out  startling  sentiraentalism  or  excited  surprise  by  their 
comicalities  may  have  had  a  short  day  of  popularity, 
but  where  now  are  either  they  or  the  results  of  their 
work?  The  value  of  the  Scriptures  as  affording  the 
matter  and  the  model  of  all  true  preaching  can  })erhap3 
nowhere  receive  a  finer  illustration  than  from  the  his- 
tory of  this  Presbytery.  That  we  may  not  rest  in 
mere  generalities,  the  names — as  specimens  only — will 
be  mentioned  of  some  of  those  whose  preaching  is  still 
bearing  fruit,  and  will  continue  to  do  so  while  the 
Church  endures.  Reference  might  be  made  to  the 
apostolic  ten  who  went  forth  from  the  Log  College, 
where  the  Bible  was  the  leading  text-book,  and  who 
moulded  the  character  of  our  early  Church  ;  mention, 
however,  will  be  made  of  the  names  of  men  in  more 
recent  times — a  Gray  who  built  uj)  the  church  of 
Easton;  an  Andrews  whose  ministry  of  half  a  century 
left  on  Doylestown  an  impress  that  can  never  be  effaced ; 


478  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

a  Steel  who  for  more  than  forty  years  had  so  much 
to  do  with  giving  the  church  of  Abington  its  honored 
record ;  a  Halsey  who  even  amid  the  infirmities  of  age 
made  such  an  enduring  impress  on  Xorristown  ;  a  Scott 
of  Holmesburg  who  was  so  early  cut  off  in  the  midst 
of  a  most  promising  work.  Many  other  names  among 
those  of  both  the  living  and  the  dead  might  we  mention, 
but  these  will  suflEice.  All  these  preached  the  word — 
the  word  only :  they  never  dreamed  of  preaching  aught 
else — and  the  results  to  themselves  and  to  their  churches 
and  to  the  Presbytery  and  to  the  cause  of  Christ  are 
in  undying  efficiency. 

Why  is  it  that  this  preaching  of  the  word  alone 
should  be  the  first  and  highest  work  of  the  pastor's 
life  ?     The  points  of  the  answer  are  manifest : 

(1)  The  word  is  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  prepared  by 
the  Spirit,  directed  by  the  Spirit,  blessed  by  the  Spirit. 
There  is  no  instrument  like  it. 

(2)  In  preaching  the  word  the  pastor  speaks  with  au- 
thority— speaks  as  God's  ambassador.  He  is  delivering 
the  King's  message.  He  is  interpreting  in  accordance 
with  his  commission  the  holy  oracles.  He  preaches  the 
preaching  which  God  has  bidden  him, 

(3)  In  preaching  the  word  he  can  always  be  fresh, 
new  and  interesting.  His  own  thoughts  soon  become 
stale  and  exhausted.  In  the  word  there  is  a  treasury 
of  thoughts  prepared  in  heaven  which  is  inexhausti- 
ble; drawing  thence,  he  need  never  become  a  tiresome 
repeater  of  himself. 

(4)  By  preaching  the  word  which  was  given  for 
spiritual  nourishment  and  edification  he  can  build  up 
the  people,  so  that  they  shall  become  intelligent,  sub- 
stantial and  permanent  in  Christian  life  and  character. 
It  is  a  sore  wrong  to  them  for  their  pastor  to  endeavor 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  yiSESCORE  TEARS.  479 

simply  to  amuse  or  interest  them  with  his  own  imper- 
fect cogitations,  when  he  might  be  enriching  their 
minds  and  hearts  with  the  truths  of  God. 

Another  strong  argument  is  from  the  teacliing  of 
experience  as  to  what  is  ordinarily  preached  when  the 
word  is  neglected.  What  generally  takes  the  place  of 
the  word  ?  Essays  about  religion  or  morals  or  human 
improvement  which  are  all  well  enough  in  their  place, 
but  which  are  all  wrong  enough  when  they  take  the 
place  of  the  preaching  which  God  has  committed  to 
his  ministers.  It  is  a  serious  question.  What  can  be 
preached  if  the  word  is  not  preached  ?  Shall  it  be  the 
exciting  themes  of  the  day — the  political  movements, 
the  improvements,  the  agitations  of  the  nations  of  the 
world  ?  Intelligent  hearers  know  as  much  as  do  their 
pastors  of  these  things,  and,  wearied  and  jaded  by 
the  report  of  them  during  the  week,  they  desire  on  the 
Lord's  Day  to  get  away  from  newspapers  and  newspaper 
excitement.  Shall  the  sermon  be  on  the  charms  and 
refining  influences  of  literature  and  art?  These  are 
not  the  high  and  solemn  themes  appropriate  to  him 
who  is  set  to  watch  for  souls.  Shall  the  effort  be  to 
make  people  stare  by  novelties  and  eccentricities,  to 
excite  a  sensation,  to  produce  a  laugh  ?  Oh  that  those 
who,  under  the  pretence  of  attracting  hearers  to  the 
sanctuary,  thus  trifle  with  souls,  could  see  how  they 
are  degrading  the  sacred  office,  how  they  are  wounding 
the  hearts  of  the  best  of  God's  children,  how  they  are 
ministering  to  their  own  woe  and  to  the  woe  of  those 
uncared  for  by  them  ! 

We  would  speak  in  the  strongest  and  most  urgent 
terms  upon  the  most  solemn  duty  and  high  privilege 
of  preaching  the  word  alone.  It  takes  some  men 
nearly  the  whole  of  their  ministerial  life  to  learn  how 


480  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

great  is  the  importance  of  such  preaching.  Would  that 
the  study  of  this  history  might  impress  that  importance 
especially  upon  those  who  have  recently  entered  upon 
the  ministry !  We  would  bring  the  whole  weight  of 
the  lesson  to  be  derived  from  this  history  of  preachers 
and  congregations  for  nearly  two  hundred  years  to  press 
home  upon  those  of  our  brethren  who  have  yet  the 
greater  part  of  their  ministerial  life  before  them  that 
their  highest  duty,  their  greatest  honors,  their  brightest 
prospect  of  success,  their  purest  happiness,  depend  upon 
their  preaching  the  word  only,  and  that  with  all  their 
energies  concentrated  on  the  sublime  work. 


XVI. 

LOYALTY  TO  CHRIST  THE   ANIMATING    AND    LIMITING 

PRINCIPLE. 

What  is  the  secret  principle  that  has  given  life  and 
oneness  to  this  Presbytery  throughout  the  one  hundred 
"and  eighty  years  of  its  history  ?  What  is  it  that  has 
given  identity  to  the  body,  though  its  individual  ele- 
ments have  been  ever  changing?  What  is  it  that  has 
given  unity  to  the  spirit  and  purposes  and  work  of  its 
members  wherever  and  whenever  found  ?  What  have 
been  the  fountain  of  its  life,  the  bond  of  its  union,  the 
secret  of  its  perpetuity  ? 

The  great  significance  of  these  questions  will  be  ap- 
preciated if  we  consider  how  many  things  there  were 
which  rendered  it  improbable  that  the  career  of  the 
Presbytery  would  have  continued  so  long.  An  observer 
who  did  not  understand  the  secret  princij^le  which 
animated  it  might  have  said.  The  wear  and  tear  of  a  few 
generations  will  surely  bring  it  to  an  end.  The  incessant 
strain  upon  its  friends  will  eventually  cause  them  to 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NINESCORE  YEARS.  481 

become  weary.  The  ever-varying  currents  of  fashion 
and  drifts  of  thought  and  feeling  will  inevitably  lead 
to  its  being  supplanted  by  other  objects  of  attraction. 
The  ever-continuins;  friction  of  the  world  will  irre- 
sistibly  wear  it  out.  The  temptations  that  will  perpetu- 
ally assail  it  will  ultimately  lead  it  to  apostasy. 

Something  was  needed  that  would  counteract  the  in- 
fluences ever  acting  against  the  continuance  and  growth 
of  the  vine  that  was  planted  so  many  years  ago — some- 
thing more  powerful  than  the  artifices  of  Satan ;  something 
animating  and  indestructible ;  something  that  would 
preserve  life  and  vigor  from  age  to  age.  That  hidden 
principle  was  supreme  love  and  loyalty  to  Christ 
wrought  in  the  souls  of  the  individual  members  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  It  was  the  character  and  source  of  this 
principle  which  gave  it  superiority  to  all  the  influences 
of  earth.  This  it  was  which,  uplifting  and  ever  the 
same,  imperishable  and  invincible,  rendered  all  causes 
of  decay  or  failure  utterly  harmless.  This  explains  all. 
It  continued  from  year  to  year  without  extinction  or 
diminution.  It  came  down  from  a  celestial  Source  that 
was  not  subject  to  fluctuation  and  that  could  not  be  de- 
stroyed. It  gave  a  life  and  a  fervor  which  nothing 
could  subdue.  In  a  word,  all  that  which  the  wisdom  of 
this  world  could  not  fathom  is  explained  by  the  divine 
testimony:  "Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my 
Spirit,  saith  the  Lord." 

This  supreme  love  and  loyalty  to  God  and  his  truth 
which  animated  the  fathers  as  well  as  their  descendants 
has  been  the  secret  source  of  prosperity  in  all  our  gen- 
erations. It  raised  up  a  bulwark  stronger  far  than 
human  hands  could  build  ajjainst  all  enemies — even 
against  the  ravages  of  time.  It  strengthened  the  hands 
of  the  generations  of  the  faithful  when  discouragements 

31 


482  PRESBYTERY  OF  THE  LOG   COLLEGE. 

and  toil  and  time  would  have  worn  them  Out.  It 
afforded  a  beauty,  a  unity  and  a  harmony  to  all  the  en- 
terprises, of  whatever  age  or  place,  which  gave  to  this 
Presbytery  its  ever-abiding  identity  and  its  concentra- 
tion of  forces  in  the  one  glorious  work  of  building  up 
the  kingdom.  It  bound  the  generations  together  with 
a  secret  cord  soft  as  love  could  twine,  yet  stronger  far 
than  any  which  human  researches  have  discovered. 
The  centre  of  that  never-dying  love  was  the  throne  of 
God,  and  its  rays  have  beamed  down  into  every  church 
and  into  every  year  of  the  passing  ages.  It  is  still  as 
bright  and  as  warm  and  as  benign  in  its  influences  as 
it  was  in  the  beginning, 

XVII. 

THE    CHEEKING  HOPE    OF  MEETING    THE  FATHERS 
HEREAFTER. 

We  have  now  become  familiar  with  those  jDrecious 
men,  ministers  and  elders,  who  in  the  various  genera- 
tions were  raised  of  God  to  take  the  lead  in  the  blessed 
cause  which  is  so  near  to  his  heart.  Our  long-con- 
tinued study  has  brought  them  very  close  to  us,  so  that 
we  now  regard  them  as  dear  personal  friends.  In  im- 
agination they  stand  before  us  as  well-tried  acquaint- 
ances in  company  with  whom  we  have  gone  through 
their  trials  and  their  victories.  In  the  pages  of  the  his- 
tory we  have  seen  so  much  of  their  heroic  work,  and  at 
this  distance  of  time  we  are  able  to  judge  so  justly  of 
its  results,  and  time  has  so  effaced  their  defects,  that  it  is 
possible  they  seem  greater  to  us  than  they  appeared  to 
the  Church  in  their  own  day.  And,  in  addition  to  all, 
we  have' entered  into  their  work  and  are  now  reaping 
its  rich  fruits. 

Shall  we  not  some  day  see  them  face  to  face  ?     Shall 


TEACHINGS  OF  THE  NIXESCORE  YEARS.  483 

we  not  meet  them  hereafter  in  that  celestial  home  into 
which  long  ago  they  were  permitted  to  enter,  and  into 
which  we  also  hope  to  receive  admittance  after  our  toils 
and  struggles  in  the  same  cause  which  was  so  dear  to 
them  shall  have  come  to  an  end  ?  Would  it  not  be  a 
wondrous  bliss  to  us  in  those  happier  ages  if  permitted 
to  describe  to  them  how  the  work  which  they  had  the 
privilege  of  commencing  was  continued  after  they  were 
taken  up  to  their  rest,  and  how  the  great  results  which 
they  had  never  imagined  flowed  out  from  it  to  the  glory 
of  Him  who  is  the  rapture  of  their  being?  And  may 
it  not  be  that  they  will  be  permitted  to  explain  to  us 
many  an  event  of  their  earthly  days  which  we  had  in 
vain  sought  to  unravel  ?  Shall  we  not  be  allowed  to 
rejoice  together — fathers  and  sons  who,  though  sepa- 
rated on  earth  by  long  years  of  time,  had  the  honor  of 
taking  part  in  the  same  great  enterprise  and  helping 
forward  the  same  cause  and  participating  in  the  same 
glorious  achievement?  May  it  not  be  that  we  shall 
there  have  much  sweet  communion  concerning  the  in- 
terests that  on  earth  were  so  dear  to  us  both  ?  Victors 
from  the  wars  of  time,  shall  not  the  saints  rest  in  the 
blissful  regions  and  rehearse  the  conquests  gained 
through  their  Great  Captain  ?  Shall  it  not  be  that  we, 
bound  to  these  fathers  by  the  special  ties  of  association 
in  the  same  work  on  the  same  field,  shall  have  fellow- 
ship with  them  in  the  peculiar  joys  of  that  portion  of 
the  heavenly  harvest?  It  is  probable  that  we  shall; 
for,  though  we  must  speak  modestly  of  what  God  has 
not  revealed,  surely  the  old  interests  of  earth  have 
})rojected  into  the  future  such  momentous  results  that 
throughout  the  ages  of  eternity  they  can  never  be  for- 
gotten. 


PICTURE  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  LOG-COLLEGE  BUILDING. 


In  the  journal  of  the  Rev.  George  Whitefield  record 
is  found  which  states  that  the  Log  College  was  a  struc- 
ture built  of  logs,  and  that  its  dimensions  were  twenty 
by  eighteen  feet.  Beyond  this  simple  notice  and  the 
name  it  has  ever  borne,  the  appearance  of  the  build- 
ing has  thus  far  been  a  mystery.  No  picture,  or  de- 
scription even,  has  been  supposed  to  be  in  existence. 
This  makes  the  discovery  of  what  is  the  frontispiece 
of  this  volume  an  event  the  value  of  which  only  the 
antiquary  can  appreciate.  It  is  a  discovery  for  which 
the  author  is  indebted  to  Dr.  W.  S.  Steen,  a  gentle- 
man well  known  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  member  of 
the  Calvary  Presbyterian  church  of  that  city  and  for 
years  superintendent  of  one  of  its  Sabbath-schools,  also 
an  eminent  mineralogist  and  assayer. 

While  engaged  in  geological  and  kindred  pursuits  at 
the  Yuba  mines,  in  California,  he  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  man  named  Wilson,  a  pious  and  intelligent 
miner,  in  whom  he  became  greatly  interested.  Both 
being  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  they  would  seek  refuge  on  the 
Sabbath  in  the  forest  from  the  noise  and  profanity  of 
the  mine,  and  there  study  the  Bible.  On  these  days 
Wilson  related  his  previous  history.  He  was  of  pious 
ancestry  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania.  A  grandfather  had 
importuned  him  to  study  for  the  ministry  of  the  Church 
of  his  forefathers,  and  among  other  inducements  had  pre- 

484 


PICTURE  OF  THE  LOQ-COLLEGE  BUILDING.        485 

sented  him  with  a  Bible  in  which  there  was  a  picture 
of  "  the  first  college  established  in  this  country  for  the 
training  of  young  men  for  the  Presbyterian  ministry." 
It  looked  as  if  it  had  been  an  illustration  from  an  old 
pamphlet  or  had  been  sketched  by  some  bright  youth  of 
the  institution.  The  building  was  small  and  rude,  of  logs, 
and  located  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania  among  the  Pres- 
byterians. On  this  picture,  as  a  reminder  of  their  far- 
off  home,  the  two  liad  gazed  times  without  number.  Dr. 
Steen  came  to  have  it  so  fixed  in  his  imagination  and 
memory  that  he  could  recall  it  with  the  utmost  vivid- 
ness. Failing  by  correspondence  to  find  either  Wilson 
or  the  Bible,  at  the  author's  solicitation  he  described 
the  picture  so  exactly  that  the  designer  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  reproducing  it  with  the  utmost  accuracy.  Of 
this  the  doctor  luis  given  the  accompanying  certificate, 
with  the  liberty  of  making  it  public : 

"  I  do  hereby  certify  that  the  accompanying  engrav- 
ing is  an  exact  reproduction  of  '  a  picture  of  the  first 
college  building  in  this  country  for  the  education  of 
young  men  for  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  which  was  con- 
structed of  logs,'  which  I  very  frequently  saw  in  the 
Bible  of  a  pious  miner  of  the  Yuba  mines  of  Califor- 
nia, and  which  he  had  received  as  an  heirloom  from  a 
grandfather  whose  ancestral  home  was  in  that  region 
of  the  State. 

"W.  S.  Steen, 

"San  Francisco,  Cal." 

In  addition  to  this  certificate,  there  are  three  corrob- 
orative circumstances  which  leave  no  question  but  that 
we  have  here  an  actual  likeness  of  the  original  Log- 


486         PICTURE  OF  THE  LOG-COLLEGE  BUILDING. 

College  building:  (1)  The  picture  is  so  unique  with 
its  two  tiers  of  windows,  so  unlike  the  traditional  log 
house,  that  the  building  evidently  had  some  special  pur- 
pose ;  (2)  The  grounds  around  the  building,  as  seen 
in  the  larger  original  picture,  are  precisely  like  the 
existing  grounds  around  the  site  of  the  Log  College ; 
(3)  In  the  original  picture  was  the  form  of  a  man 
standing  in  front  of  the  door,  which  in  the  position, 
dress  and  mode  of  wearing  the  hair  bore  an  unmistak- 
able likeness  to  the  existing  pictures  of  William  Ten- 
nent.  All  these  peculiarities  Dr.  Steen  described  before 
he  had  seen  the  likeness  of  Tennent  or  knew  anything 
else  about  the  Log  College, 

There  can,  therefore,  be  scarcely  a  doubt  but  that 
in  this  picture  we  have  a  correct  representation  of  the 
original  Log-College  building,  and  so  a  treasure  of  the 
greatest  value.  ^ 


INDEX. 


A. 

Abington  church,  sketch,  209 ;  best  of 
records,  209;  organized  1714,  209; 
forone  hundretl  iiiul  forly-eight  years 
all  it6  pastors  died  in  the  tield,  210; 
pre-eminence  of,  210;  liuildinpis,  210; 
pastors,  211;  elders,  214;  elements 
of,  215;  interestinf;  facts,  21(5;  oilier 
churches  out  of,  216;  Jenkintown, 
422  ;  Carmel,  424  ;  Kox  Chase,  424. 

Abington  Presbytery,  formation  of, 
172;  ideptical  with  ours,  183;  men 
composing,  183. 

Absentz,  Kev.  John  George,  sketch, 
247. 

Adair,  Rev.  Roliert,  D.  D.,  sketch,  328. 

Adams,  Koiierick,  sketch,  290. 

Adanison,  William,  commencing 
Waketield  church,  413,  415. 

Adopting  .\ct,  hi.story  of,  62;  har- 
mony of  doctrine  in,  159 ;  text  of, 
62. 

Alexander,  Rev.  A.  A.,  D.  D.,  testi- 
mony that  Log  College  was  the 
germ  of  Princeton,  127;  on  causes 
of  the  lireat  Schism,  164. 

Alexander,  Kev.  Sanniel  D.,  D.  D.,  in 
Port  Richmond,  362. 

Allen  township  church,  sketch,  374. 

Allison,  .ludge  Joseph,  on  William 
Tennent,  72. 

Amalgamation  of  Old  and  New  School, 
410. 

American  Presbyterian  Church  for 
America,  providential  |)lan  of,  3; 
stages  of,  295 ;  process  of  forming, 
296;  .substance  of  all,  301;  evi- 
dences of,  302;  building  up  of,  302; 
plan  in  detail,  444. 

Analysis  of  our  hisiory,  44. 

Anderson,  James,  sketch,  274. 

Andrews,  Hev.  .Jedeiliah,  sketch,  52. 

Andrews,  Kev.  Sihus  M.,  sketch,  259 ; 
accoimt  of  his  system,  261  ;  Script- 
ure studies,  261 ;  death  and  funeral, 
262. 


Ann  Carmichael  church,  sketch,  416; 

pa-stors,  417  ;  elders,  418. 
Antepresbyterial  jieriod,  4ti. 
Apostolic  ten,  studies  of,  77  ;  sketches 
of,  80;  Davies'  poem  on,  90;  work 
1      of  all  and  of  each,  101. 
I  .\slibourne  church,  sketch,  420;  vlg- 
!      orous  youth,  421. 
-■Vurora  church,  sketch,  195,  196. 


Baldwin,  M.  W.,  founds  Ilermon 
church,  Frankford,  404. 

Baptism  of  the  Holy  Sfiirit,  the  pre- 
paratory stage  of,  149. 

Barr,  Rev.  Joseph,  sketch,  328. 

Beatty,  Charles,  M.  I).,  sketch,  215. 

Realty,  Rev.  Charles  Clinton,  sketch, 
111 ;  mission  of,  113;  a  young  ped- 
dler, 113;  pastor  in  Nohaminy,  114; 
collecting  for  widows'  fund,  115; 
chaplain,  115;  mi.ssioii  to  the  In- 
dians, 116;  sent  to  Kurope,  116; 
dies  in  Barbadoes,  117;  descendants 
of,  117;  sketch  as  p:ustor,  224;  and 
Kraiiklin,  224;  family  of,  22.5. 

Beatty,  Rev.  C.  C,  1).  L).,  of  Steuben- 
ville  Seminary,  334. 

Beatty,  John,  sketch,  263. 

Beatty,  Reading,  M.  1).,  remarkable 
history  of,  271. 

Beeber,  Rev.  Thomas  R.,  in  Norris- 
town,  330. 

Bcggs,  Kev.  .Taseph,  I).  D.,  and  Falls 
of  Schuylkill,  .393. 

Bell,  Tom]  the  horse-thief,  109. 

Belville,  Rev.  Jacob,  D.  D.,  sketch, 
237  ;  his  seminarv,  238. 

Belville,  Kev.  Kok-rt  B.,  I ).  D.,  sketch, 
227;  great  revival  under,  227. 

Bensalem  church,  sketch,  194;  oldest 
of  all,  194;  buildings,  19ti;  pastors, 
197;  elders,  199. 

Benson,  Frank,  elder  in  Fox  Chose, 
426. 

Benson,   Gustavus,   sketch,   425;    his 

487 


488 


INDEX. 


family    and    Fox    Chase    church, 

425. 
Benson,  Eev.  Louis  F.,  and  Church  of 

the  Eedeemer,  428. 
Bent,   Eev.   Howard,   in   Edge  Hill, 

424. 
Blair,  family  of,  87. 
Blair,  Eev.  John,  D.  D.,  sketch,  92 ; 

at  Fagg's  Manor,  93 ;  at  Princeton, 

93;    death   of,   94;    character,   94; 

epitaph,  95. 
Blair,  Eev.  Samuel,  sketch,  87 ;  his 

sister,  90 ;  Davies'  poem  on,  90 ;  as 

a  preaclier,  91 ;   blessed  family  of, 

91 ;  epitaph,  92. 
Blair,  Eev.  Samuel,  Jr.,  D.  D.,  sketch, 

309,  315. 
Boggs,  Eev.  J.  H.,  pastor  of  Hermon, 

405. 
Boundaries  of  Presbytery,  351 ;  fixed, 

411. 
Bourne,  Eev.  George,  sketch,  312. 
Boyd,  Eev.  Alexander,  sketch,  269. 
Boyd,  Eev.  James,  sketch,  268. 
Bradford,    Eev.  Thomas    B.,   sketch, 

236,  313. 
Brainerd  church,  Easton,  sketch,  383. 
Bridesburg  church,  sketch,  345 ;  model 

organization,  345  ;    buildings,  346  ; 

pastors,  347  ;  Sabbath-school  of,  349. 
Bristol  church,  sketch,  359 ;  buildings, 

360 ;  pastors,  360 ;  elders,  361 ;  steady 

progress,  361. 
Brown,  Eev.  Charles,  and  Manayunk 

church,  335. 
Brough,  Eev.  William,  sketch,  198. 
Buchanan,  William,  elder  in  Morris- 

ville,  398. 
Bumstead,  Eev.  T.  A.,  in  Eoxborough, 

387. 
Burdett,  Eev.  Michael,  sketch,  199. 
Burns,  Eev.-Charles  E.,  in  Manayunk, 

338. 
Burrows,  Eev.  George,  D.  D.,  sketch, 

269. 
Bush,  Eev.  George  C,  sketch,  269. 

O. 

Calvinism  of  our  first  educational  in- 
stitutions, 305. 

Calvinistic  Methodists,  great  preach- 
ers of,  33. 

Campbell,  Eev.  John,  sketch,  205. 

Carmel  church  of  Edge  Hill,  424; 
colonv  of  Abington,  424. 

Carroll,' family  of,  238. 

Carversville  church,  sketch,  411 ;  pas- 
tors and  elders,  412. 


Castor,  Barton,  and  family  in  Tacony, 
426 ;  in  Wissinoming,  429. 

Castor,  George,  sketch,  290. 

Catasauqua  church,  sketch,  377. 

Centreville  church,  sketch,  i95. 

Chalfont  chapel,  427. 

Charles  II.,  persecutions  by,  36. 

Chestnut  Hill  church,  sketch,  378; 
Dr.  Owen  founding,  378  ;  buildings, 
379 ;  pastors,  379. 

Chichester,  Eev.  Wm.  J.,  D.  D.,  in 
Germantown,  314. 

Chronicles  of  the  churches,  explana- 
tory, 193. 

Churches,  increase  in  number  of,  435; 
organized  in  fifty  years,  436;  in 
groups,  436 ;  making  war  on,  474. 

Church  extension  in  psistor's  vicinity, 
187. 

Church  and  country,  same  process,  302; 
same  time,  303 ; '  same  place,  304 ; 
same  men,  304 ;  same  principles, 
305  ;  same  prospects,  306. 

Church  strifes,  lesson  of  the  history  of, 
472 ;  shocking  evils  of,  472. 

Classis  of  Amsterdam  helping  the 
German  Calvinists,  242. 

Colleges,  controversy  about,  161. 

Collins,  Eev.  Chas.,  D.  D.,  in  Jeffer- 
sonville,  355. 

Colwell,  Stephen,  and  Conshohocken 
church,  363. 

Common  schools,  John  Knox  father 
of,  463. 

Confession  of  Faith  after  Great  Schism, 
175. 

Constitution  of  United  States,  men 
framing  it  Calvinists,  at  same  time 
and  place  with  men  preparing  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  302-307;  its  princi- 
ples all  Presbyterian,  305. 

Conshohocken  church,  sketch,  362 ; 
first  obstacles,  363 ;  buildings  of, 
364  ;  pastors,  364 ;  elders,  365 ;  re- 
vival in,  365. 

Corwin,  Eev.  Dr.,  on  commencement 
of  Market  Square  church,  239. 

Country,  state  of,  at  organization  of 
Presbytery,  48. 

Country  and  Church,  same  process, 
302 ;  same  time,  303. 

Cradle  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
this  Presbytery  the,  5. 

Creed,  adopting  the,  61. 

Crisis  of  the  Great  Schism,  169. 

Culver,  Eev.  Andrew,  in  Manayunk, 
338. 

Curious  deliverances,  specimens  of, 
186. 


INDEX. 


489 


D. 

Davie,  Rev.  J.  T.  Marshall,  sketch, 
288. 

Davies,  Rev.  Samuel,  D.  D.,  poem  on 
the  Log  College  evangelists,  90. 

Davis,  General,  on  Tiuicum  church, 
276. 

Davis,  Rev.  J.  B.,  sketch,  348. 

Deal,  John,  sketch,  291. 

Decade  1841-1850,  new  churches  in, 
353. 

Decade  1851-1860,  new  churches  in, 
373. 

Decade  1861-1870,  new  churches  in, 
402. 

Decade  1871-1880,  new  churches  in, 
411. 

Decade  1881-1888,  new  churches  in, 
422. 

Deep  Run  church,  transferred  to  our 
Presbytery,  184;  sketch,  252;  de- 
cline, 255;  buildings,  255;  pastors, 
256. 

Denominations,  our  members  going 
to  otiier,  438. 

Dinsmore,  Rev.  A.  A.,  in  Bridesburg, 
348. 

Disston,  Mrs.  Henry,  builds  Tacony 
church,  426. 

Disston  Memorial  church,  sketch,  426  ; 
mission  of  the  Frankford  church, 
426. 

Diver,  Rev.  C.  F.,  in  Jeffersonville, 
355. 

Doak,  Rev.  John  W.,  sketch,  287. 

Doylestown  church,  sketch,  251  ;  be- 
ginnings of,  254  ;  epochs  of,  255  ; 
buildings,  255 ;  pastors,  256 ;  elders, 
263 ;  present  prosperous  state,  264. 

Dripps,  Rev.  J.  Frederick,  D.  D.,  in 
Germantown,  314. 

Dubbcndorf,  Rev.  Samuel,  sketch,  29. 

DuBois,  John  L.,  Ksmi.,  record  of,  264. 

DuBois,  Rev.  Uriah,  sketch,  259 ;  fam- 
ily of,  259. 

Dunlap,  Rev.  William,  sketch.  212. 

Dunn,  Kev.  Thomas,  sketch.  311. 

Durham  church,  sketch,  319;  pa.ssed 
awav.  322 ;  ministers,  321  ;  elders 
of,  321. 

Dutch  Reformed  came  to  Northamp- 
ton through  William  Penn,  200; 
first  in  Germantown,  240. 

E. 

E^ton  church,  sketch,  375;  for  years 
in  this  Presbytery,  375. 


Ecclesiastical  relations  not  understood 
at  tirst,  162. 

Eckard,  Rev.  James  Read,  D.  D., 
sketch,  218. 

Eckard,  Rev.  Leighton  W.,  in  Abing- 
ton,  214. 

Eddington  church,  beginning  of,  195; 
fine  new  e<lilice,  197  ;  present  pros- 
perity, 202. 

E<iucate<l  ministry,  the  fathers  recjuired 
an,  72 ;  object  of  I.K)g  College,  73 ;  a 
stage  of  God's  plan,  73;  and  the 
New  Light  schism,  161 ;  young 
preachers  must  have  their  sermons 
examined,  1S7;  censure  for  preach- 
ing without  a  license,  1H7  ;  lesson 
of  ninescore  years,  453;  dangerous 
to  tamper  with,  453 ;  bulwark  of  the 
Church,  451. 

Educiition  and  Presbyterian  ism,  a  les- 
son from,  462. 

ICdwards  on  WhitefieM,  137. 

Eighteen  hundred  thirty-two,  events 
of,  341. 

Eighteen  hundred  thirtv-three,  events 
of,  342. 

Eighteen  hundred  thirtv-four,  events 
of.  343. 

Eighteen  hundred  thirty-five,  events 
of,  343. 

Eigliteen  hundred  thirty-six,  events 
of,  343. 

Eighteen  hundred  thirtv-seven,  events 
of,  344. 

Eighteen  hundred  thirtv-eight,  events 
of,  344. 

Eighteen  hundred  thirtv-nine,  events 
of,  344. 

Elders,  bulwark  of  our  Church,  454 ; 
les-son  of  ninescore  years,  454;  the 
pastor's  aid.  455;  aid  to  the  people, 
456 ;  model  specimens,  455 ;  evils 
of  rotation,  4.56. 

Elective- Affinity  Presbvtery?  what  is 
an,  341. 

Eminent  ministers  from  Log  College, 
78. 

English  element  of  the  Presbytery, 
32. 

Epoch  of  General  As-iiembly,  299. 

?>rors,  blighting  effects  of,  467. 

E.stablishinent,  stage  of,  293. 
!  Evans,     Rev.    David,    censured     for 
preaching  without   a   license,  187 ; 
sketch,  205. 

Exj>erience,  invaluable  teachings  of, 
440;  of  the  Pre.sbyiery  gathere<l  up, 
442 ;  of  the  Presbyiery  mtwt  valu- 
able, 442 ;  one  mind  grasping,  444. 


490 


INDEX. 


F. 

Fagg's  Manor,  great  revival  at,  88 ; 
and  Samuel  Blair,  88 ;  academy,  89 ; 
John  Blair  at,  93. 

Falls  of  ministers,  lessons  of  the,  475  ; 
slanders  about,  476;  only  two  on  our 
records,  476. 

Falls  of  Schuylkill  church,  sketch, 
392 ;  steps  of  its  progress,  392 ; 
buildings  and  elders,  394. 

Fathers,  deep  piety  of  the,  190. 

Fetters,  Casper  W.,  elder  in  Hunting- 
don Valley,  400. 

Finley,  Rev.  Samuel,  D.  D.,  sketch, 
95  ;  family,  95  ;  early  piety,  95  ;  es- 
tablished Nottingham  Academy,  96 ; 
president  at  Princeton,  97 ;  person 
and  character  described,  98 ;  tri- 
umphant death,  99;  in  the  Great 
Schism,  166. 

First  ministers,  residences  of,  55. 

First  Presbytery,  ministers  and 
churches  composing,  55;  organiza- 
tion of,  55  ;  proofs  that  ours  was  the, 
182,  186;  the  fact  of,  186. 

Focus  of  the  first  movements  of  the 
Church,  this  the,  181. 

Foehring  ?  Rev.  Christian  F.,  who  was, 
28 ;  sketch,  248. 

Forks  of  the  Delaware,  important  set- 
tlement at,  374. 

Forrestville  church,  sketch,  369;  strug- 
gles, 370  ;  buildings,  370 ;  pastors, 
370 ;  elders,  371. 

Foundation  period,  57  ;  events  of,  58. 

Founding  of  Log  College,  73. 

Fox  Chase  church,  sketch,  424. 

Frankford  church,  branch  of  Market 
Square,  242 ;  organization  of,  280 ; 
Swiss  colony,  281 ;  beginnings  of, 
281;  the  four  founders  of,  282; 
dedication,  282;  becomes  Presby- 
terian, 283 ;  {)astors,  285 ;  elders, 
289 ;  Sabbath-school  of,  291 ;  Lu- 
theran and  Baptist  churches  out  of, 
292;  buildings,  284;  a  prison  in 
Revolution,  291  ;  its  old  academy, 
292,  465  ;  mother  of  churches,  292  ; 
present  pastorate,  292. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  Dr.  Beatty  and 
the  rum,  224. 

Fugitives,  all  our  forefathers  were,  41. 

Fulton,  Rev.  William,  in  Consho- 
hocken,  365. 

Or. 

General  Assembly,  need  of,  297 ;  pe- 
riod of,  300 ;  organization,  301. 


Generation  of  Presbyterians,  taking 
root,  described,  294. 

German  Calvinists,  element  of  the 
Presbytery,  26 ;  missionaries  of,  28, 
30 ;  at  Germantown,  241 ;  who  were 
they  ?281 ;  thoroughly orthodox,308. 

German  language,  difficulties  about 
the,  308. 

Germantown  First  church,  sketch,  308 ; 
beginnings  of,  309  ;  buildings,  310 ; 
pastors,  311;  elders,  315;  noted  for 
liberality,  318  ;  thorough  organiza- 
tion, 318. 

Germantown  Second  church,  sketch, 
394  ;  pastors,  396  ;  elders,  397 ;  dea- 
cons, 397  ;  liberality  of,  397. 

Germs  of  the  Presbytery,  42. 

Gleisser,  Rev.  Henry  G.,  pastor  in 
Carvers ville,  412. 

Gould,  Rev.  Samuel  M.,  pastor  in 
Norristown,  329. 

Gould,  Rev.  William  R.,  elder  in 
Pottstown,  369. 

Grace  church,  sketch,  422 ;  pastors 
and  elders,  423. 

Gray,  Rev.  John,  D.  D.,  sketch,  376. 

Great  Awakening,  sketch,  132;  Hat- 
field on,  134;  mission  of,  135. 

Great  Schism,  what  was  it?  155;  con- 
dition of  the  Church  then,  156 ;  the 
time  of,  156  ;  tendencies  leading  to, 
158,  162;  no  doctrinal  differences, 
158  ;  specific  causes  of,  163-1 65, 167  ; 
essence  of  the  controversy,  167  ;  cri- 
sis, 169  ;  lasted  seventeen  years,  170; 
beginningto  heal,  171 ;  reunion,  174; 
spirit  of  the  reunion,  176;  growth 
during  the  separation,  176  ;  the  men 
and  their  work,  177  ;  circumstances 
made  it  inevitable,  178 ;  results  at 
the  time,  178 ;  permanent  effects, 
179 ;  settled  principles,  179 ;  an- 
nealed, 179. 

Great  Valley,  great  revival  under  Row- 
land, 107. 

Grier,  Rev.  James,  sketch,  258 ;  fam- 
ily of,  258. 

Grier,  Rev.  M.  B.,  D.  D.,  sketch,  381. 

Grouping  churches,  good  sample,  358. 

Gi-owth  of  Presbytery  in  one  hundred 
years,  437. 


Halsey,   Rev.  Job  F.,  D.  D.,  sketch, 

330. 
Hamil,  George,  in  Edge  Hill,  424. 
Hamill,  Robert,  and  his  descendants, 

207  ;  elder  in  Norristown,  331. 


ISDEX. 


491 


/K/ 


Harlow,  Mr.,  sketch,  198. 

Harlow,  Kev.  James  I.,  organizing 
Bristol  church,  359. 

Harper,  Joliii,  sketch,  290. 

Harris,  Kev.  Franklin  D.,  in  Bristol, 
360. 

Harrison,  Mrs.  Benjamin,  ancestors  of, 
231. 

Hartpeiice,  Kev.,  at  Ilohnesburg,  38G. 

Haltieiil,  Kev.  Edwin,  1).  D.,  on  the 
Great  Awakening,  134;  on  the 
churches'  loyalty,  192. 

Helffenstein,  Kev.  J.  C.  Albertus, 
sketcli,  28,  247. 

Heltlenstein,  Kev.  Albertus,  Jr.,  sketch, 
249. 

Uelfienstein,  Rev.  Jacob,  D.  D.,  sketch, 
248;  familvof,  249. 

Hendrie,  W.L.,  M.  D.,  sketch,  263. 

Henry,  Kev.  Alexander,  pastor  of 
Heruion,  405. 

Henry,  Jo.seph,  and  family,  207. 

Henry,  T.  Charlton,  and  family,  316. 

Here<litary  piety,  lesson  of  tlie  years, 
457  ;  how  it  can  be  proved,  458  ;  this 
Presbytery  the  best-known  instance 
of,  460;  families  in  proof  of,  460; 
in  family  of  tiie  Hlaire,  400  ;  is  posi- 
tive, 460;  benefits  of,  461;  the  su- 
preme lesson  of  our  history,  462. 

Herman,  Kev.  Leibrecht,  sketch,  29, 
248. 

Hermon  church,  sketch,  404 ;  build- 
ings, 404 ;  pastors,  405. 

Hickey,  Kev.  Yates,  in  Torresdale,  418. 

History  of  the  Presbytery  in  detail, 
43;  epochs  of,  43;  a  thesaurus,  5, 
431  ;  wliy  we  write  it,  11  ;  what  we 
would  commemorate,  12;  how  we 
would  write,  13;  what  we  have 
written,  431. 

Hodge,  Kev.  Archibald  A.,  D.  D.,  first 
schools  all  Calvinistic,  305. 

Holniesburg  church,  sketch,  384 ;  Rob- 
ert Pattison  founder  of,  384;  ofliihoot 
from  Frankford,  384;  buildings, 
384  ;  pa-stors,  3S(> ;  elders,  386. 

Howard,  Kev.  William  D.,  D.  D., 
sketch,  288,  316. 

Huntingdon  Valley  church,  sketch, 
399  ;  colony  of  Abington,  399 ;  build- 
ings, 401 ;  pastors,  401 ;  elders,  401. 


Impartiality  in  our  work,  19.3. 
lncrea.se  in  churches   in   Presbytery, 

435. 
Influences,  power  of  the  first,  57. 


Intrusions  into  other  churches,  164. 
Ireland,  persecutions  in,  37. 
Irving,  Rev.  Leslie,  sketch,  374. 
Irwin,  Kev.  Natiianiel,  sketch,  226. 
Ivyland,  chapel,  236. 


JefTersonville    church,    sketch,    354; 

buildings,  354  ;  pjustors,  355  ;  elders, 

356;  change  of  name  unwise,  357. 
Jenkintown,  (jrace  <'hurch  in,  422. 
Jenks,  Alfred,  coming  to  Bridesburg, 

348 ;  sketch,  348. 
Jenks,    Barton    II.,  built   Bridesburg 

church,  346,  347. 
Jenk.s,  Rev.  William  A.,  sketch,  348. 
Jones,  Rev.  Malachi,  sketch,  208. 
Jones,  Rev.  William  E.,  .sketch,  230. 
Junkin,   Rev.  George,   D.  D.,  sketch, 

312. 

K. 

Kenne<ly,  Catharine,  sketch,  118; 
comes  to  America,  119  ;  real  founder 
of  Log  College,  119  ;  immense  influ- 
ence, 120;  her  name  to  be  placed 
highest  of  all.  121. 

Kennedv,  Rev.  Mr.,  sketch,  68. 

Knox,  Rev.  J.  11.  M.,  D.  D.,  in  Ger- 
mantown,  314;  in  Bristol,  360. 

Krewson,  Rev.  Jacob  B.,  in  Eorrest- 
ville,  371. 


Ladv  Huntingdon  and  the  Great  Re- 
vival, 133. 

Landis,  Rev.  Robert,  D.  D.,  sketch, 
204. 

Langhorne  church,  sketch,  428 ;  on 
site  of  Bensalem,  428. 

Lawndale  church,  sketch,  429. 

Lawsuits  among  brethren  condemned, 
189. 

Lee,  Rev.  Henry  P.,  sketch,  368. 

Leidytown  church,  sketch,  427. 

Leverington  church,  sketch,  419. 

Location  of  the  Presbytery,  47. 

Loch,  John  W.,  Ph.D.,  elder  in  Xor- 
ristown,  392. 

Log  College  not  duly  appreciated,  66 ; 
focus  of  first  movements  of  the 
Church,  67  ;  Presliytery  should  pre- 
serve its  memory,  67  ;  origin  of,  71  ; 
design  of  7 1 ;  founding  of  73  ;  build- 
ing of,  74  ;  dewcription,  75 ;  location 
of,  75;  site  of,  76;  Whitefield's  de- 


492 


INDEX. 


scription,  76 ;  smallness  at  first,  77 ; 
first  students  of,  77 ;  daily  life  of, 
77 ;  Log  College  evangelists,  78  ;  in- 
debtedness of  Presbyterian  Church 
to,  79  ;  training  at,  79  ;  inestimable 
value  of,  79;  Alexander  on,  79 ;  spe- 
cial work  and  description,  101 ;  em- 
inent sons  of,  117  ;  germ  of  Prince- 
ton College,  121,  127, 128  ;  influence 
on  all  our  institutions,  130;  White- 
field  on,  147  ;  Whitefield's  influence 
on,  151 ;  our  first  ministers  from, 
158;  great  men  trained  at,  166; 
monument  needed,  239 ;  Oakland 
Female  Institute  from,  334. 

Log  College  evangelists,  work  of,  101. 

Long,  important  family,  320. 

Long,  Kev.  A.  W.,  in  Lower  Merion, 
415. 

Long,  Morgan,  sketch,  319,  321. 

Lots  used  in  former  times,  187. 

Lower  Merion  church,  sketch,  415. 

Lowrie,  Rev.  Samuel,  D.  D.,  sketch, 
214;  at  Jenkintown,  422. 

Loyalty  of  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  Revolution,  191. 

Loyalty  to  Christ,  lesson  of  the  his- 
tory, 480 ;  secret  of  success  and  per- 
petuity, 481 ;  of  our  Church,  191. 

M. 

Macalester  Memorial  church,  sketch, 
418. 

Maclean,  Eev.  John,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  on 
relation  of  Log  College  to  Prince- 
ton, 128. 

Mallory,  Rev.  Daniel  G.,  in  Norris- 
town  church,  391. 

MacKellar,  Thomas,  Ph.D.,  elder  in 
Germantown,  317. 

Makemie,  Rev.  Francis,  sketch,  53. 

Manayunk  church,  sketch,  335;  be- 
ginnings of,  335 ;  buildings,  337  ; 
pastors,  337 ;  present  prosperity,  339. 

Mann  family,  216. 

Mann,  John,  sketch,  263. 

Market  Square  church,  sketch,  239 ; 
epochs  of,  240 ;  Dutch  Reformed  at 
first,  240;  beginnings  of,  241;  sup- 
plied by  Classis  of  Amsterdam,  243 ; 
Zinzendorf  sui)plies,  244 ;  fine  build- 
ings of,  245 ;  log  building  at  first, 
245 ;  pastors,  247 ;  elders,  250 ; 
"Washington  worshiping  in,  251 ; 
enterprising,  251. 

McAskie,  Rev.  Joseph,  in  Norristown, 
391. 

McCosh,  Rev.  James,  D.  D.,  LL.D., 


common  schools  originated  with 
Presbyterians,  462. 

McCurdy,  J.  C,  elder  in  Lower  Mer- 
ion, 416. 

McDowell,  Robert,  elder  in  Slating- 
ton,  383. 

McFetridge,  Rev.  N.  S.,  D.  D.,  in 
Wakefield,  414. 

McHenry,  Rev.  Francis,  sketch,  252 ; 
very  prominent,  257  ;  epitaph,  258. 

Mcllvaine,  Bishop,  tribute  to  Dr. 
Biggs,  287. 

McKeen,  Thomas,  elder  in  Easton,  375. 

McMonagle,  Rev.  M.  D.,  sketch,  338. 

McMurray,  Rev.  Joseph,  sketch,  198. 

McNair,  family  of,  272. 

Miller,  Rev.  Samuel,  D.  D.,  on  Sam- 
uel Blair,  91. 

Milliken,  Rev.  Samuel  J.,  sketch,  269; 
in  Ann  Carmichael  church,  417. 

Miluer,  William  W.,  elder  in  Tacony, 
427. 

Ministers,  need  of,  at  first,  72 ;  whence 
came  the  first,  158 ;  piety  in,  to  be 
cultivated,  191 ;  falls  of,  475. 

Miracles,  Tennent's  trances  were.  111. 

Mitchell,  Joseph  B.,  elder  in  German- 
town,  316. 

Mitchell,  Thomas  D.,  M.  D.,  in  Frank- 
ford,  291. 

Morgan,  Rev.  J.  J.  A.,  in  Bridesburg, 
347. 

Morris,  Rev.  Robert  D.,  D.  D.,  in  New- 
town, 269. 

Morrisville  church,  sketch,  397  ;  Tren- 
ton should  care  for,  398. 

Mount  Airy  church,  sketch,  421. 

N. 

Nassau,  Rev.  C.  W.,  sketch  of,  206, 
328. 

Nationalities,  countries  from  whence 
came,  161 ;  commingling  of,  265. 

Neill,  Rev.  William,  D.  D.,  sketch, 
313. 

Nesbit,  Rev.  Joseph,  D.  D.,  in  Con- 
shohocken,  365 ;  in  Norristown  Sec- 
ond, 372. 

Neshaminy  of  Warminster,  sketch, 
235  ;  buildings,  235  ;  chapel  at  Ivy- 
land,  236  ;  pastors,  236 ;  elders,  237. 

Neshaminy  of  W^arwick,  sketch,  219  ; 
founded  1726,  219  ;  in  Old  and  New 
School  troubles,  220  ;  admirable  di- 
vision of  the  property,  220  ;  pastors, 
222;  elders,  230;  old  graveyard,  234; 
memorable  events,  234 ;  Old  and 
New  Light  division,  254. 


INDEX. 


493 


New  birth,  controversies  alx>ut,  1G3. 

New  England  genu  in  the  Presbvterv, 
31. 

New  Lights,  what  meant  by,  163. 

New  Light  Schism,  what  was  it?  155  ; 
conditions  of  the  Ciiurch  tiien,  157  ; 
time  of,  156 ;  tendencies  leading  up 
to,  158,  162;  no  doctrinal  differ- 
ences, 158;  specific  causes  of,  163, 
165. 

Newportville  church,  sketch,  195, 197. 

Nimmo,  Rev.  Uershom  H.,  sketch, 
237. 

Noble,  Rev.  William  B.,  D.  D.,  in 
Norristown,  330. 

Norristown  Central  church,  sketch, 
390;  buildings,  390;  pastors,  391; 
elders,  391. 

Norristown,  First  church,  history  of, 
325 ;  Old  and  New  School  troubles, 
326;  buildings,  327;  pastors,  328; 
revivals,  329;  elders,  330. 

Norristown  Second  church,  sketch, 
371;  buildings,  372;  pastors,  372; 
now  reviving,  373. 

Norriton  church,  sketch,  202;  first 
trace  of  Presbyterian  ism  is  here, 
202;  commenced  1714,  203;  great 
revival  in,  204;  eminent  families 
from,  204  ;  pastors,  204  ;  elders,  206. 

Nottingham  Academy  established  by 
Dr.  Finley,  97 ;  eminent  group  at, 
97. 


Oakland    Female   Institute    and   Dr. 

Ralston,  332. 
Old  and  New  Light  Schism,  what  was 

it?  155  ;  tangled  events  of,  341. 
Organization    of    General    Assembly, 

ueetl  of,  297 ;    epoch  of,  297,  299 ; 

the  four  years  of,  300. 
Organization  of  Presbytery,  need  of, 

54 ;   etl'ected,  55. 
Osbourne,  Rev.  Truman,  sketch,  249. 
Owen,  Rev.  Roger,  D.  D.,  founder  of 

Chestnut  Hill  church,  378. 


Pacificator,  Gilbert  Tennent's,  175. 
Palatinate,  persecutions  in,  38. 
Pastors  should  work  up  neighborhood 

of  their  churches,  468. 
Pattison,  Robert,  elder  in  Holmesburg, 

384,  386. 
Pauli,  Rev.  Philip  R.,  in  Frankford, 

286. 


Penn,  William,  and  the  Dutch  Re- 
forme<i,  200. 

People,  special,  of  this  Presbytery, 
449. 

Pequa  Acatlemy,  importance  of,  89. 

Peri<Hl8  of  the  history,  45. 

Period  of  Reunion,  407. 

Period  of  confirmation,  sketch,  295. 

Persecute*!,  all  the  germs  of  Presby- 
tery from  the,  35. 

Persecutions  of  Scotch-Irish,  36;  of 
Germans,  38;  of  the  Puritans,  39; 
in  Holland,  39 ;  of  the  Welsh  Cal- 
vinists,  40  ;  benefits  from,  41. 

Pew-rents  must  be  paid,  189. 

Plumsteadville  church,  sketch,  402. 

Port  Kennedy  church,  sketcli,  357 ; 
elders,  358  ;  pastors,  358  ;  brighten- 
ing prospects,  359. 

Port  RichnKmd  church,  sketch,  362 ; 
in  this  Presbytery  first,  362. 

Potter,  Thomas,  elder  in  Chestnut 
Hill,  381 ;  built  Ann  Carmichael 
church,  417. 

Pottstown  church,  sketch,  366 ;  build- 
ings, 367  ;  pastors,  367  ;  elders,  368 ; 
schools  in,  369. 

Powel,  .Joseph  B.,  elder  in  Port  Ken- 
nedy, 359. 

Preaching  of  pastors  to  be  reporte<l 
on,  191;  the  truth  alone,  465;  the 
Scriptures  only,  478 ;  sensational, 
abominable,  479. 

Preaching  the  word  only,  lesson  of  the 
history,  477;  why?  478;  if  not, 
what?  478. 

Presbyterianism  began  in  this  country 
with  founding  of  Presbytery,  53; 
I>erseeute<l  at  first,  51 ;  tested  by  ita 
eflects,  441 ;  imperishable,  447 ;  trials 
it  has  passed  through,  448;  for  the 
people,  449 ;  and  education,  lesson, 
462-465. 

Presbytery,  the,  cradle  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  5  ;  characteristics  of, 
18;  important  history,  IS;  location 
of,  19;  mother  of  churches,  20;  dis- 
cipline it  has  received,  21 ;  germs 
from  which  it  grew,  25;  place  and 
time  of  its  organization,  46  ;  vicissi- 
tudes of,  132;  changes  of.  173;  vari- 
ous names  of,  173,  174;  t'ocus  of  our 
Church's  first  movements,  181 ;  same 
with  .\bington,  183;  as  it  entered 
the  General  Assomblv,  185;  no  new 
churches  from  1770' to  1810,  293; 
early  growth  of,  296 ;  strength  of,  at 
time  of  disruption,  351 ;  l><)undaries 
of,  351 ;  various  names  of,  407 ;  vicis- 


494 


INDEX. 


situdes,  407;  at  time  of  Eeunion, 
407  ;  epochs  of,  408;  lineage  of,  409; 
certainly  the  original  first  Presby- 
tery of  Philadelphia,  409;  bird's- 
eye  view  of,  410;  Old  and  New 
School  amalgamated,  410;  elements 
of,  at  Eeunion,  411 ;  present  strength 
of,  431;  increase  in  numbers,  434; 
increase  in  churches,  435 ;  growth 
in  a  hundred  years,  437  ;  fair  field 
for  trying  it,  441 ;  seminaries  and 
schools  in,  464;  no  error  ever  in, 
466 ;  responsible  for  its  field,  467  ; 
loyalty  to  Christ  the  secret  of  its 
pros{)erity,  480. 

Preston,  Eev.  William  K.,  sketch,  230. 

Princeton  College  sprung  from  Log 
College,  121 ;  and  Log  College  same 
object,  122;  commenced  as  Log  Col- 
lege closed,  123 ;  Log-College  men 
at  founding  of,  124;  spirit  of  Log 
College  in,  125  ;  should  follow  spirit 
of  Log  College,  129. 

Principles  of  Church  and  State  the 
same,  305. 

Progress  in  the  Presbytery,  433;  in- 
crease in  numbers,  434. 

Q. 

Quakers  a  germ  of  the  Presbytery,  34. 

R. 

Ealston,  Eev.  J.  G.,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
sketch,  332;  and  Oakland  Female 
Institute,  332. 

Eamsey,  Charles,  a  founder  of  Brides- 
burg  church,  346,  349. 

Eecords  of  churches,  preserving,  442 ; 
value  of,  443  ;  loss  of,  443  ;  Presby- 
tery should  care  for,  443 ;  sugges- 
tions for,  444. 

Eedeemer,  church  of,  sketch,  428. 

Eed  Hill  church  same  as  Tinicum, 
27.5. 

Eeligious  movements  when  Presby- 
tery organized,  50. 

Eeunion  after  New  Light  Schism,  174  ; 
terms  of,  174;  after  Old  and  New 
School  disruption,  407. 

Eevivals  under  preaching  of  Eowland, 
107;  in  Pennington,  106;  in  Law- 
renceville,  106;  in  Great  Valley 
church,  107  ;  of  our  early  history, 
133 ;  our  Church  founded  in,  149 ; 
perversions  of,  160;  dangers  after, 
160. 

Revolutionary  times,  trials  of,  189. 


Eeynolds,     Herbert,    a    founder    of 

Bridesburg  church,  346. 
Eoxborough  church,  sketch,  387 ;   at 

first  Dutch  Eeformed,  387  ;  pastors, 

388 ;  elders,  389. 
Eunkle,  Eev.  John  William,  sketch, 

30,  249. 

S. 

Same  time.  Church  and  government 
formed  at,  303. 

Satan  perverting  revivals,  160. 

Schlatterer,  the  missionary,  240. 

Schofield,  John,  marvelous  conversion 
of,  429. 

Scotch-Irish  element  in  our  Church, 
27;  who  were  they?  36;  persecu- 
tions they  suffered,  36. 

Scotland  persecuted  by  Charles  II.,  36; 
home  of  public  schools,  463. 

Scott,  John,  family  of,  233 ;  ancestor 
of  Mrs.  Harrison,  233. 

Scott,  Eev.  James,  sketch,  385. 

Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia, 
period,  340 ;  tangled  events  of  its 
formation,  341  ;  acts  constituting, 
342  ;  of  the  Synod,  343  ;  final  action 
touching,  344. 

Separation  period,  351  ;  state  of  the 
Presbytery  then,  351 ;  parties  utterly 
distinct  then,  352 ;  composition  of 
then,  352. 

Shields,  Eev.  Edward  P.,  D.  D.,  in 
Bristol,  361. 

Short  pastorates,  evils  of,  469. 

Slack,  family  of,  270. 

Slatington  church,  sketch,  382. 

Smith,  eminent  ministerial  familv, 
90. 

Smith,  Eev.  Eandolph  A.,  in  Norris- 
town,  329. 

Smith,  Eev.  Eobert,  D.  D.,  commences 
Peqna  Academy,  89. 

Snowden,  Benjamin,  M.D.,  in  Hunt- 
ingdon Valley,  400. 

Snowden,  Colonel  J.  Eoss,  sketch,  201. 

Snowden,  Miss  Eebecca,  in  Hunting- 
don Valley,  400. 

Sources  of  information  enumerated, 
15. 

Spavd,  Eev.  Henry  E.,  in  Forrestville. 
370. 

Springfield  church,  sketch,  389;  pas- 
tors, 389. 

Stages  of  God's  plan  enumerated,  295. 

Stated  clerks,  list  of,  345. 

State  of  the  world  when  General  As- 
sembly organized,  298. 


INDEX. 


495 


Stead,  Rev.  Benjamin,  D.  D.,  in  Brides- 
burg,  347. 

Steel,  Rev.  Robert,  D.  D.,  sketch,^  213 ; 
commenced  Huntingdon  Valley 
church,  399;  also  Jenkintown 
church,  422. 

Stewart,  Rev.  Calvin,  D.  D.,  descrip- 
tion of  Pe<[Ua  Academy,  89. 

Stewart,  Rev.  William  B.,  D.  D.,  in 
Pottstown,  368. 

Swiss  elenrent  in  our  Presbytery,  281. 

Synod,  constituted,  58 ;  acts  constitut- 
ing the  first,  58. 

Synod  of  Delaware,  formatiou,  343. 


Teachings  of  the  ninescore  years  gath- 
ered up,  6;  chapter  on,  440;  inval- 
uable, 441. 

Tendencies  leading  to  the  New  Light 
Schism,  15S,  160,  161. 

Tennent,  Rev.  Charles,  sketch,  86. 

Tennent,  Rev.  Gilbert,  sketch,  80; 
Whitefield  on,  81 ;  preaching  of, 
81 ;  greatest  preacher  of  the  land, 
82;  .\.  A.  Alexander  on,  82;  in 
private  life,  83 ;  in  the  Great  Schism, 
165;  healing  the  schism,  175. 

Tennent,  Rev.  John,  sketch,  85;  death 
of,  86. 

Tennent,  Rev.  William,  Jr.,  sketch, 
83 ;  trance  and  other  marvels,  84, 
111;  trial  for  perjury,  110. 

Tennent,  Rev.  William,  Sr.,  sketch, 
68  ;  arrival  in  this  coimtry,  60,  96  ; 
four  sons  of,  70 ;  character,  70 ;  en- 
ergy of,  257  ;  visits  Whitefield,  145  ; 
described  by  Whitefield,  147;  con- 
ference with  Whitefield,  148;  piis- 
tor  in  Neshaminv,  158,  IGO,  161. 

Tennent,  Rev.  William  M.,  D.  D., 
sketch,  206,  211. 

Tennent  school  at  Neshaminy,  234. 

Tennent's  upper  congregation?  what 
was,  252. 

Territory  of  the  Presbytery,  352; 
kee|>s  up  our  identity,  407. 

Test  ot  Presbyterianism,  441. 

Testimonies  that  the  Log  College  was 
the  germ  of  Princeton,  126. 

Thesaurus  of  the  Presbytery,  5,  14. 

Thomas,  David,  elder  of  Catasauqua, 
377. 

Thompson,  Rev.  John  C,  D.  D.,  in 
Pottstown,  868. 

Thompson,  Thomas  M.,  elder  of  Sole- 
bury,  324. 

Thompeon  Memorial  church,  sketch. 


322;     pastors,    323;    elders,    324; 

change  of  name  condemned,  325 ; 

now  reviving,  325. 
Time  of  organization  of  Presbytery, 

48. 
Tinicum  church,  sketch,  274;  minis- 
ters in,  277  ;  buildings,  277  ;  pastors, 

277  ;  elders,  278 ;  sad  declining  of, 

279. 
Tobacco,   minister's    supply   ordered, 

189. 
Torbert,  family  of,  271. 
Torresdale  church,  sketch,  418. 
Transferring  churches,  284. 
Treat,  Rev.  Richard,  sketch,  211. 
Tremont   Seminarv   and   Prof.  Loch, 

392. 
Truth,  adherence  to,  a  les,son  of  the 

history,  465;  stick  to  it  alone,  467. 
Turner,   Rev.  Douglas   K.,  testimony 

that    Log    College    was    germ    of 

Princeton,  126;   sketch  of,  229. 
Tustin,  Rev.  Septimus,  D.  D.,  sketch, 

313. 
Ty reman  on  Whitefield,  144. 

V. 

Vanarsdalen.  familv  of,  272. 

Vandegrift,  family  of,  201. 

Van  Dyke,  Rev.  Henry  J.,  D.  D.,  in 

Germantown,  313. 
Van  Vleck,  Rev.  Paul,  sketch,  198; 

in  Germantown,  241. 


"W. 

Wakefield  church,  sketch,  413;  build- 
ings, 414;  pastors,  414;  elders,  414. 
Wales,  great  revival  of,  33. 
Waller,  Rev.  Wm.  B.,  in  Norristown, 

330. 
Wanamaker,  John,  built  Jenkintown 

church,  422. 
War  injurious  to  religion,  294,  403. 
Warring  against  the  Church,  lesson  of, 

472. 
Welsh  Calvinistic  element  of  the  Pres- 

bvterv,  33,  34;  Whitefield  leader  of, 

139.  ■ 
Weslev,  John,  and  Whitefield,  137; 

Whitefield's  appeal  to,  138;  sermon 

on  Whitefield.  144. 
West  .Jersey  churches  connected  with 

lu*,  1S5. 
Whitefield,  preaching  of.  32;  on  Gil- 

l)ert    Tennent,    81;    visit    of,    1.32; 

sketch    of.    l."}5 ;    mission    of,    135; 

joins  the  Oxford  Methodists,  136; 


496 


INDEX. 


associates  with  the  Wesleys,  137 ; 
his  preaching,  137  ;  visits  America, 
137;  Edwards  on,  138;  his  deep 
piety,  138;  his  appeal  to  Wesley, 
138  ;  a  Calvinist,  139,  142  ;  mission 
and  qualifications  for,  139  ;  descrip- 
tion of,  140;  Franklin  on,  140;  and 
Chesterfield,  141 ;  persecuted,  141 ; 
Dr.  Patterson  on,  141 ;  at  Lady 
Huntingdon's,  141 ;  effect  on  Phil- 
adelphia, 145 ;  activity  of,  143 ; 
thirteen  times  across  the  Atlantic, 
143 ;  death  of,  143 ;  visits  Nesham- 
iny,  145;  Tyreman  on,  144;  Wes- 
ley on,  144 ;  Tennent  visits,  145 ; 
preaching  at  Neshaminy,  147 ;  de- 
scription of  Log  College,  147  ;  con- 
ference with  the  Tennents,  148  ;  re- 
vivals under,  149  ;  the  Log  College 
prepared  for  him,  150 ;  wonders  of 
his  short  visit,  151 ;  imbued  our 
Church  with  the  spirit  of  the  Ox- 
ford Methodists,  152 ;  his  spirit 
spread  through  our  whole  Chi'rch, 
152;  child  of  Providence,  153;  for 
the  crisis  in  our  Church,  154. 

White,  Eev.  William  P.,  in  Mount 
Airy,  421. 

Whiting,  Francis,  elder  in  Jefferson- 
ville,  356. 

Williams,  Henry  J.,  Esq.,  elder  in 
Chestnut  Hill,  381. 

Wilson,  Eev.  Henry  E.,  D.  D.,  sketch, 
236. 

W^ilson,  Eev.  James  P.,  Jr.,  D.  D., 
sketch,  325. 


Withrow,  Eev.  John  L.,  D.  D.,  in  Ab- 
ington,  214. 

Wissinoming  church,  sketch,  429  ;  off- 
shoot of  Frankford,  429. 

Wood,  Eev.  Chas.,  D.  D.,  in  German- 
town,  315. 

Woods,  Eev.  A.  Miller,  sketch,  238. 

Work,  Eev.  Wm.  E.,  founding  Potts- 
town  church,  366,  367. 

World,  state  of,  at  organization  of 
Presbytery,  49. 

Wright,  Eev.  John  E.,  D.  D.,  in  Mar- 
ket Square,  250. 

Wright,  Hon.  Eichardson  L.,  statistics 
furnished  by,  434. 

Wylie,  Eev.  A.  McElroy,  in  Newtown, 
270. 

Wynkoop,  remarkable  family  of, 
273. 

Wvnkoop,  William,  elder  in  New- 
town, 274. 

Y. 

Yerkes,  family  of,  215. 

Yost,  Hon.  Jacob,  founding  Pottstown 

church,  366 ;  sketch,  368. 
Yost,  Mrs.  Jacob,  founding  Pottstown 

church,  366,  368. 


Zinzendorf,  Count,  sketch,  243;  in 
Market  Square,  244 ;  various  rec- 
ords of  his  visit,  244 ;  his  mission 
like  Whitefield's,  244. 


APPENDIX. 


CELEBRATION  OF   THE  FOUNDING  OF  THE  LOG 
COLLEGE,  SEPT.  5,  1889. 

Following  the  preparation  of  this  volume,  and  growing  out  of 
it,  there  was  held  on  September  5,  1889,  the  year  wliich  is  the  cen- 
tennial anniversary  of  the  organization  of  the  General  Assembly,  a 
celebration  which  was  so  extraordinary  in  everj'  respect  that  the 
author  was  persuaded  to  delay  the  issuing  of  the  book  until  a 
description  of  that  noteworthy  event  could  be  prepared  as  an 
appendix.  The  commemorative  occasion  was  marked  by  so  many 
favoring  providences ;  it  drew  together  such  a  vast  assembly ;  it 
was  so  cordially  advocated  by  the  public  press ;  it  Avas  honored  by 
the  presence  of  so  many  distinguished  jieople ;  it  had  with  it  such 
hearty  good-will  from  all  classes,  all  parties  and  all  denominations, 
— that  it  cannot  but  be  regarded  as  a  most  remarkable  and  signif- 
icant event.  It  was  the  more  noteworthy  in  that  such  results  were 
entirely  unanticipated.  In  the  beginning  its  friends  had  no  higher 
purpovse  than  an  ordinarily  important  reunion,  and  all  its  vast  pro- 
portions were  developed  as  the  work  of  preparation  progressed. 

The  celebration  grew  out  of  the  continued  study  of  its  history 
which  had  been  undertaken  by  direction  of  the  Presbytery.  As 
that  study  progressed  and  led  to  the  minute  investigation  of  points 
in  the  hi.«tory  which  had  not  come  in  the  way  of  previous  explorers, 
certain  new  and  striking  facts  were  discovered.  How  should  these 
important  facts  be  rescued  from  oblivion  and  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  those  who  are  interested  in  the  cause  of  religion?  Evidently 
some  extraordinary  thing  must  be  done  for  that  purpose.  This  was 
the  first  impulse  that  prompted  to  our  wonderftil  celebration.  What 
else  would  be  so  well  adapted  to  awaken  the  attention  of  the  Chris- 
tian public  to  our  strangely  interesting  history? 

It  became  more  and  more  manifest  to  us  at  every  step  that  we 
were  following  the  leadings  of  Providence.     Plana  of  preparation 

33  497 


498  APPENDIX. 

opened  up  to  us  which  were  not  of  our  contriving,  friends  volunteered 
us  aid  for  which  we  did  not  look,  and  prosperity  met  us  for  which 
we  had  not  dared  to  hope.  All  these  things  cheered  us  with  an 
increasing  assurance  that  our  undertaking  was  from  God  and  that 
the  effects  of  our  work  would  be  for  his  glory.  This  conviction 
gave  firmness  to  every  step  we  look,  and  bore  us  onward  even  when 
we  encountered  many  things  to  discourage. 

As  the  celebration  itself  will  doubtless  become  historical,  and 
will  prove  to  be  a  climax  and  a  landmark  in  the  way  in  which 
God  is  leading  our  branch  of  his  Church,  we  enter  somewhat 
minutely  into  its  events  and  give  some  of  the  more  important 
elements  of  our  success.  Among  them  we  place  on  record  (1)  The 
deep  feeling  that  we  had  an  important  object  before  us — an  achieve- 
ment that  would  bring  honor  to  the  name  of  our  Lord  through  the 
promoting  of  his  cause  and  the  strengthening  of  the  credit  of  his 
Church.  (2)  The  assurance  growing  stronger  and  stronger  that 
the  favor  of  God  was  with  us,  that  our  many  prayers  were  being 
answered,  and  that  a  wisdom  higher  than  our  own  was  our  reliance. 
(3)  A  very  strong  conviction,  which  our  prolonged  researches  had 
awakened,  that  we  were  working  a  new  mine  of  our  history — a  mine 
the  very  existence  of  which  had  scarcely  been  imagined  before.  This 
gave  to  our  whole  work  the  charm  and  the  impulse  of  novelty.  (4) 
The  perfect  harmony  which  from  first  to  last  prevailed  among  those 
of  us  who  were  busy  in  the  work.  There  was  perfect  acquiescence 
in  every  effort.  Very  great  difficulties  and  diversities  of  opinion 
were  sometimes  encountered,  but  individual  preferences  were  soon 
yielded,  and  all  were  united  in  heart,  aim  and  work.  Without 
envying  of  any  kind  every  one  cheerfully  took  up  the  part  of  the 
work  which  lay  in  his  way  and  for  which  he  had  qualifications. 

The  writer  has  had  one  source  of  uneasiness.  He  feels  that  he 
has  received  more  credit  for  the  success  of  the  great  undertaking 
than  is  his  due,  while  other  brethren  whom  he  dearly  loves  have 
worked  as  hard  as  he  and  accomplished  things  which  he  could  not 
have  done,  and  yet  their  names  are  not  even  mentioned.  He  had 
prepared  a  few  paragraphs  for  insertion  in  this  Appendix  in  which 
acknowledgment  should  be  given  to  such  by  name  ;  but  those  self- 
denying  brethren  positively  refuse  him  the  privilege  of  so  doing. 
They  will  not  allow  their  names  to  be  used  lest  it  might  seem  to 
ignore  other  brethren  of  the  Presbytery,  some  of  whom  did  aid 
efficiently,  and  many  of  whom  would  have  worked  just  as  hard 
had  there  been  more  time  to  organize  all  our  forces. 


i 


APPENDIX.  499 

Our  celebration  has  been  successful  beyond  our  utmost  expecta- 
tions or  imaginings — beyond  our  dreams.  Every  view  we  can  take 
of  it  gives  us  this  assurance.  The  gathering  was  probably  the 
largest  ever  witnessed  in  tliis  land  for  a  religious  purpose.  Five 
difi'urent  estimates  by  five  different  and  independent  partie.s — esti- 
mates undertiiken  for  the  express  purpose  and  carried  on  .>iystemati- 
cally — put  down  the  attendance  at  not  less  than  twenty-five  thousand. 
So  far  as  we  can  ascertain  from  all  (piarters,  the  satisfaction  is  ex- 
ceedingly great  and  very  general.  The  deep  conviction  established 
in  the  most  thoughtful  miuds  is  that  results  must  follow  that  will 
be  of  livsting  importance  to  the  cause  of  Christ  in  this  huid. 

A  description  in  detail  of  the  grejit  event  is  generally  demanded 
by  those  who  participated  in  it  and  imbibed  its  spirit,  as  well  as  by 
its  historic  importance.  The  brethren  best  qualified  to  give  that 
description  by  reason  of  their  having  been  the  leadci-s  in  their 
respective  portions  of  the  work  have  been  requested  to  furnish  the 
material  needed,  and  have  kindly  done  so. 

THOMAS  iMUKPIIY. 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  GREAT  GATHERING. 

Thought  precedes  action.  Prearranged  plans  nuist  lead  up  to 
the  accomplishment  of  all  worthy  purposes.  And  the  celebration 
of  September  5th  was  not  the  exprcs.sion  of  sudden  im])ulse.  On 
Oct.  3,  1888,  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North,  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Murphy,  D.  D.,  took  the  initial  step  toward 
such  a  gsxthering  on  the  site  of  the  old  Log  College,  as  should 
emplijisize  an  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  the  foundations  of  Prcs- 
byterianism,  as  an  organized  and  aggre.>Jsive  force  in  America,  were 
laid  within  our  territorial  limits.  The  proper  committees  were 
appointed  to  carry  out  this  determination,  and  their  several  chair- 
men wore  constituted  an  executive  board,  as  follows: 

Thomas  Murphy,  D.  D.,  Chairman  of  Committee  on  Speakers 
and  Programme;  the  Rev.  D.  K.  Turner,  on  Selecting  Place; 
Wm.  Wynkoop,  Esq.,  on  Finance;  the  Rev.  Cha«.  Collins,  D.  D., 
on  Advertising  and  Invitations;  Chas.  B.  Adamson,  Esq.,  on  Rail- 
roads ;  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Nimmo.on  Entertainment ;  John  L.  DuBois, 
Esq.,  on  Music. 

^Ir.  Adanisou's  resignation  on  account  of  illness  was  accepted 
with  great  regret.     A  most  acce])table  and  energetic  substitute  waa 


500  APPENDIX. 

found  in  Hamilton  Disston,  Esq.,  who  kindly  gave  influence  and 
effort  when  and  where  they  were  most  required. 

Wm.  Wynkoop,  Esq.,  was  also  prevented  from  serving,  because 
of  absence  in  Europe.  This  was  a  sore  discouragement,  and  was 
acquiesced  in  only  through  necessity.  The  writer  was  subsequently 
designated  as  his  successor,  and  acted  in  that  capacity. 

On  April  30th,  at  a  general  conference  of  the  committees,  it  was 
decided  to  invite  the  President  of  the  United  States,  Postmaster- 
General  Wanamaker  and  Gov.  Beaver  of  Pennsylvania,  each  of 
these  distinguished  officials  holding  the  office  of  ruling  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Dr.  Murphy  and  President  Knox  of  Lafay- 
ette College  were  instructed  personally  to  convey  this  invitation 
and  urge  its  acceptance.  Their  mission  was  successfully  accom- 
plished. Gov.  Green  of  New  Jersey  was  also  asked  to  partici- 
pate, and  agreed  to  do  so  if  public  duties  permitted.  Unfortu- 
nately, he  was  not  able  to  attend. 

From  this  time  forward  the  entire  scheme  attracted  great  interest, 
and  public  opinion  accorded  it  an  importance  which  even  its  ear- 
liest advocates  had  hardly  claimed.  Divine  Providence  was  con- 
spicuously propitious,  and  it  was  shown  how  "  when  God  wills  all 
winds  bring  rain."  The  newspapers  lent  their  influence.  Christian 
brethren  of  other  denominations  offered  aid  and  encouragement, 
and  success  became  assured. 

A  delicate  and  difficult  duty  was  the  selection  of  speakers.  These 
were  chosen  according  to  the  rule  that  each  must  represent  some 
historical  interest.  J.  Addison  Henry,  D.  D.,  represented  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Princeton  College ;  the  Rev.  D.  K.  Turner  repre- 
sented the  venerable  church  of  Neshaminy  (Warwick) ;  Josejjh 
Beggs,  D.  D.,  came  as  the  present  Stated  Clerk  of  the  "  mother- 
Presbytery  ;"  R.  M.  Patterson,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  one  of  the  successors 
of  the  distinguished  Rowland  in  the  Great  Valley  Church,  was 
designated  as  the  proper  person  to  discourse  on  the  "  Log  College 
Evangelists;"  President  Patton  of  Princeton  would  have  represented 
that  institution  but  for  a  sad  affliction  :  the  dean  of  the  college.  Dr. 
Murray,  came  instead ;  Richard  Mcllwaine,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  who  pre- 
sides over  Hampden-Sidney  College,  Virginia,  was  the  well-quali- 
fied spokesman  for  the  South,  where  the  influence  of  the  Log  Col- 
lege was  so  potential ;  Charles  A.  Dickey,  D.  D.,  appeared  as  the 
representative  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia ;  Dr.  Ebenezer 
Erskiue  embodied  the  excellencies  of  "  Presbyterians  in  the  Cum- 
berland Valley ;"  S.  A.  Mutchmore,  D.  D.,  stood  forth  as  the  stal- 


APPENDIX.  501 

wart  champion  of  the  Scotch-Irish ;  and  Dr.  Knox  told  of  tho 
heroic  struggles,  so  similar  to  those  of  the  Log  College,  which, 
under  God's  favor,  made  Lafayette  what  it  is  to-day. 

Simultaneously  with  these  Presbytcrial  arrangements  a  great 
popular  interest  manifested  itself.  Preparations  were  made  to 
extend  a  suitable  welcome  to  President  Harrison  and  tlio^se  who 
should  accompany  him.     All  classes  and  creeds  became  interested. 

On  Sept.  4th  a  telegram  was  received  announcing  that  the  Presi- 
dent and  Mrs.  Harrison,  Postmaster-General  Wanamaker  and  Pri- 
vate Secretary  Halford  would  arrive  at  Jenkintown  at  7  o'clock 
p.  M.  Gov.  Beaver,  who  had  previously  arrived,  was  notified,  and 
at  the  appointed  hour  gracefully  welcomed  the  Chief  Magistrate  to 
Pennsylvania.  The  following-named  gentlemen  were  present  to 
extend  the  greetings  of  the  Presbytery  to  President  Harrison  as 
he  entered  the  limits  of  "  Philadelphia  North :"  the  Rev.  Richard 
Green,  Jenkintown,  chairman  ;  the  Rev.  L.  W.  Eckard,  Abington ; 
Capt.  Nicholas  Baggs,  Abington ;  J.  M.  Colton,  Esq.,  Abington ; 
Theodore  Glentworth,  Esq.,  Abington  ;  Roberts  Stevenson,  Esq., 
Abington ;  A.  H.  Baker,  Esq.,  Jenkintown. 

As  the  assemblage  at  Jenkintown  was  very  large,  the  committee 
decided  not  to  detain  the  Presidential  party.  They  therefore  drove 
to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Wanamaker,  where  Mr.  Harrison  was  to  be 
entertained.  There  a  suitable  opportunity  was  soon  presented,  and 
the  appreciation  of  the  Presbytery  in  Mr.  Harrison's  presence  was 
cordially  expressed  and  as  cordially  responded  to. 

It  is  simple  justice  to  say,  just  here,  that  the  President  came  at  a 
great  sacrifice  of  time  and  personal  comfort — greater,  indeed,  than 
can  be  well  expressed.  It  should  be  noted,  as  well,  that  obstacles 
which  at  times  seemed  simply  insurmountable  were  overcome  by 
the  unequaled  energy  and  kindly  effort  of  the  Postmaster-General, 
who  gave  himself  unreservedly  to  the  task  of  ensuring  success. 

Sept.  5th  was  a  pleasant  day.  At  an  early  hour  the  roads  were 
blocked  by  vehicles  of  all  descriptions.  Soon  the  special  trains 
from  the  city  brought  their  nmltitudes,  who  had  been  attracted  by 
the  announcement  of  the  ovation  prepared  for  the  President  along 
the  road  which  he  must  drive  over  to  reach  the  Tennent  farm. 
Montgomery  county  never  before  witnessed  such  an  outpouring  of 
people  or  such  widespread  enthusiasm.  At  8..'i0  tho  Presidential 
party  entered  carriaires  in  the  following  onler:  President  Harrison 
and  Mr.  Wanamaker;  ilrs.  Harrison  and  Gov.  Beaver;  the  liev. 
Dr.  Scott  and  Mrs.  Wanamaker ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lowrie  and  Mrs. 


502  APPENDIX. 

Dawson  Coleman ;  Private  Secretary  Halford  and  Mrs.  Lowrie. 
The  journey  up  the  Old  York  Road  at  once  began.  The  Rev. 
W.  A.  Patton,  on  behalf  of  the  Presbytery's  Committee  on  Recep- 
tion, accompanied  the  party.  Jenkintown,  half  a  mile  away,  was 
quickly  reached.  There  the  flags  fluttered  from  houses  and  stores, 
and  amid  the  din  of  ringing  church-bells  and  cheering  throngs  the 
residents  waved  their  welcome  from  every  window  and  doorway. 

Noble  Station  was  the  next  point.  Hither  the  drum  corps  of  the 
First  Regiment  Band  of  Philadelphia  had  been  sent  by  the  Recep- 
tion Committee  of  Abington.  They  made  a  striking  effect  in  their 
scarlet  uniforms,  and  led  the  way  to  the  village,  where  the  greatest 
demonstration  on  the  entire  route  was  made.  For  two  miles  flags 
lined  the  road  on  both  sides.  Telegraph-poles,  fences,  trees  were 
blazoned  with  the  tricolor.  Houses  and  barns  were  covered  with 
bunting.  At  the  ^^bington  church  three  hundred  children  stood 
on  the  lawn,  each  holding  a  flag.  Over  the  entrance  was  an  arch 
bearing  the  legend,  "Abington  Church,  founded  1714.  Greetings 
to  our  Ruling  Elders  who  rule  our  country."  Just  opposite  the 
graves  of  Finley,  Gilbert  Tennent  and  Wm.  M.  Tennent  were 
suitably  marked.  Farther  up  the  village  was  a  colossal  arch  with 
a  span  of  sixty  feet.  On  the  right  was  a  grand-stand  accommo- 
dating seven  hundred  ladies. 

A  pleasing  incident  here  was  the  offering  to  each  of  the  ladies  of 
the  Presidential  party  of  choice  flowers  on  behalf  of  the  Abington 
Committee,  the  bouquet  given  Mrs.  Harrison  being  composed  of 
exceptionally  rare  orchids. 

Another  stand  was  occupied  by  the  First  Regiment  Band,  forty- 
two  pieces.  At  this  point  it  seemed  to  be  a  wilderness  of  colors, 
"  Iris  and  Aurora  blended,"  and  none  who  saw  will  forget  the  sight. 
The  President  halted  three  times  and  acknowledged  the  honor  paid 
him  with  evident  pleasure.  There  were  now  fifteen  hundred  car- 
riages following  his,  and  the  grand  procession  passed  on  to  Hatboro', 
where  similar  scenes  were  re-enacted,  although  on  a  less  elaborate 
scale.  The  most  pleasing  feature  was  the  reception  tendered  the 
Presidential  party  at  the  residence  of  Hon.  I.  Newton  Evans.  G. 
A.  R.  Post  No.  101,  under  the  command  of  Major  Rorer,  preceded 
by  a  mounted  guard  led  by  Capt.  Abram  Slack  and  Marshal  Philip 
Fretz,  had  met  the  President  just  as  Hatboro'  was  reached.  They 
were  accompanied  by  a  band.  In  front  of  Dr.  Evans's  the  Post 
was  halted  and  a  way  opened  for  the  President  to  enter.  Many 
were  here  personally  presented  to  Mr.  Harrison. 


APPENDIX.  503 

From  this  point  onward  the  Grand  Array  men  did  service  for 
which  too  much  praise  cannot  be  accorded.  Tliey  cleared  the  road, 
protected  the  President  from  all  annoyance  and  materially  facili- 
tiited  the  progress  of  the  party.  Under  their  guidance  the  Presi- 
dent reached  the  grounds  at  his^t,  again  to  be  greeted  by  the  twenty- 
five  thousiiud  there  assembled. 

It  was  a  memorable  morning.  AVhen  the  Presbyterians  of  this 
vicinity  forget  it,  their  piety  will  have  languished  and  their  patriot- 
ism been  lost.      Quod  Dems  avcrtat. 

L.  W.  ECKARD. 


ARRANGEMENTS  ON  THE  GROUND. 

Tlie  celebration  wa.s  held  on  historic  ground  formerly  owned  by  the 
Rev.  William  Tennent,  and  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  Log  College. 
Mrs.  Cornelius  Carrell,  the  present  owner  of  the  farm,  very  gener- 
ously oflered  to  the  Presbytery  a  beautiful  field  of  twenty-five  acres 
for  such  uses  as  were  desired.  This  field  is  located  ju.st  west  of  the 
house  in  which  Mr.  Tennent  lived  in  Warminster  township,  about 
half  a  mile  below  the  village  of  Hartsville,  eighteen  miles  north  of 
Philadelphia  and  nine  miles  from  Jenkintown.  The  site  selected 
fdr  the  celebration  was  most  convenient  for  all  purposes.  The  field 
was  dry  and  had  a  hard  sod.  It  was  accessible  both  from  the  front 
and  rear,  having  two  entrances  from  each  quarter. 

A  partition  fence  was  run  in  this  lot,  eiiclosing  about  ten  acres. 
This  portion  was  reserved  for  holding  the  e.\ercises  of  the  day,  and 
no  teams  were  allowed  within  the  enclosure.  Here  three  large  tents 
were  ])laced,  affording  seats  for  five  thousand  three  hundred  persons, 
and  during  the  exercises  not  less  than  three  thousand  more  were 
standing  outside  close  by,  listening  to  the  speeches.  The  platform 
erected  under  the  middle  tent  was  twenty-four  by  sixty-four  feet. 
On  it  were  seated  the  speakei*s  and  invited  guests,  also  the  large 
choir  of  more  than  one  hundred  voices.  The  patriotic  and  floral 
decorations  of  the  platform  and  tent  were  very  beautiful. 

At  a  proper  distance  from  the  tents  were  two  luncheon-stands 
conducted  by  authorized  persons.  These  furnished  refreshments 
to  many  thousands  during  the  day.  Several  similar  stands  were 
placed  on  the  adjoining  fields,  owned  by  other  parties.  All  did  a 
large  business.  A  booth  for  receiving  and  checking  various  articles 
was  erected.  Here  many  persons  deposited  tiieir  satchels,  lunch- 
baakets,  etc.     Three  water-stands  were  placed  at  convenient  points 


504  APPENDIX. 

and  supplied  every  few  minutes  with  pure,  cold  water  from  wells 
near  by.  A  hospital  department  was  provided  having  three  cots. 
This  was  in  charge  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Carrell.  A  dining-tent  was  erected, 
floored  and  carpeted,  under  which  an  elegant  collation  was  served 
to  about  one  hundred  distinguished  guests.  Twenty-nine  thousand 
feet  of  lumber  were  required  for  the  various  structures  and  for 
seating. 

In  the  portion  of  the  field  outside  the  enclosure  a  large  number 
of  hitching-posts  were  planted.  Twenty-five  hundred  teams  were 
accommodated  and  fed  on  this  part  of  the  ground.  Fifteen  hun- 
dred more  were  tied  in  adjoining  fields,  making  four  thousand  in  all. 

The  day  chosen  for  the  celebration  was  fair  and  beautiful,  the  sky 
clear,  a  refreshing  breeze  blowing  from  the  south-east  all  day,  and 
the  sun  not  oppressive.  As  early  as  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  car- 
riages began  to  arrive  on  the  grounds.  An  hour  later  all  roads 
leading  to  the  place  were  filled  with  vehicles ;  an  unbroken  proces- 
sion extended  up  from  Jenkintown,  and  another  as  long  came  down 
the  York  Pike.  The  Reading  Railroad  Company  offered  lower  fare 
to  all  who  wished  to  attend,  ran  many  extra  trains  during  the  day, 
and  conveyed  two  thousand  eight  hundred  persons  from  Philadel- 
phia and  the  parts  of  Pennsylvania  adjacent — ^from  Delaware,  from 
New  Jersey,  and  not  a  few  from  New  York.  The  large  number  of 
conveyances  running  from  Johnsville  Station  to  the  grounds  was 
ably  directed  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Larzelere  of  Jenkintown. 

President  Harrison  and  his  party  arrived  about  11.30  p.m.  After 
a  brief  rest  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Carrell,  they  were  driven  to  the 
grounds,  where  they  were  most  cordially  greeted  by  the  assembled 
thousands. 

A  multitude  so  vast  as  this  is  difficult  to  number,  but  the  attend- 
ance was  estimated  by  those  who  were  competent  to  judge  at  not 
less  than  twenty-five  thousand.  Constables  and  detectives  were 
appointed  to  preserve  order  during  the  day,  but  their  services  were 
not  required.  The  crowds  were  well-behaved ;  no  disturbance  of 
any  kind  occurred.  An  apple-orchard  in  an  adjoining  field  laden 
with  choice  ripe  fruit  was  not  molested. 

An  invitation  to  attend  the  celebration  had  previously  been  given 
in  the  newspapei-s  of  Bucks  and  Montgomery  counties  to  all  minis- 
ters, church  officers,  congregations  and  professional  gentlemen.  This 
invitation  was  accepted  by  clergymen  and  laymen  of  every  denomi- 
nation. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  so  large  a  number  of  teams  were 


APPENDIX.  605 

driven  into  the  field,  and  so  iimny  thousands  of  persons  were  con- 
veyed to  and  from  the  grounds  on  that  day,  without  a  single  acci- 
dent or  an  injury  to  man  or  beast. 

The  favor  of  Divine  Providence  was  granted  from  the  beginning 
of  the  preparatory  work  to  the  close  of  the  celebration,  and  to  God 
be  the  praise  for  all  the  joys  and  blessings  of  the  notable  day. 

G.  H.  NIMMO. 

THE  EXERCISES. 

The  Executive  Committee  requested  the  writer  to  act  as  marshal 
during  the  exercises  of  the  Log  College  Celebration.  He  liad  for 
his  assistants  forty  young  men  from  Neshaniiny  of  Warwick, 
Neshaminy  of  Warministor,  Doylestown,  Abington,  Jcnkiiitown, 
Frankford,  Falls  of  Schuylkill,  Huntingdon  Valley  and  Ash- 
bourne Presbyterian  churches  and  from  the  Reformed  (Dutch) 
churches  of  Churchville  and  Richboro'.  Too  much  credit  cannot 
be  given  to  these  young  men  for  the  faithful  way  in  which  they 
performed  their  difficult  and  trying  duties.  These  aids  wore  a 
yellow  badge  stamped  with  the  words  "  Old  Log  College  Celebra- 
tion, September  5,  1889." 

A  large  choir  of  more  than  one  hundred  voices,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Professor  J.  R.  Sweney,  and  accompanied  by  a  full  orchestra, 
occupied  the  left  of  the  stage  and  led  the  singing.  The  right  of 
the  stage  was  reserved  for  the  speakers,  committees  and  invited 
guests.  The  front  part  of  the  main  tent  was  reserved  for  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyteries  of  Philadelphia  North,  Philadeli)hia  and 
Philadelphia  Central. 

At  the  hour  of  commencing  the  exercises  every  available  seat  was 
occupied,  the  aisles  were  crowded  and  numbers  were  pres.xing  upon 
the  outer  edges  of'the  tent.  It  was  an  enthusiastic  and  patient  mul- 
titude. As  the  ovation  to  the  President  was  witliout  political  signif- 
icance, simply  the  loyal  welcome  to  the  Executive  of  the  Nation,  so 
the  observer  of  the  va.st  multitude  could  not  but  be  struck  with  ita 
character.  It  was  a  Presbyterian  celebration,  but  its  significance 
clearly  had  been  recognized  as  wider  than  any  denominational  lines. 
While,  of  course,  a  large  majority  of  the  people  were  from  our  own 
churches,  all  denominations  were  reprcscnttd.  The  sister  Reformed 
(Dutch)  Church,  so  strong  in  that  community,  and  whose  sturdy 
orthodoxy  and  fervid  evangelical  spirit  have  done  so  much  for  tlie 
Log  College  neighborhood,  was  largely  represented.    In  the  gather- 


506  APPENDIX. 

ing  also  were  Methodist,  Baptist,  Reformed  (German),  Lutheran 
and  Protestant  Episcopal  clergymen  and  laymen  of  the  neighbor- 
hood and  from  Philadelphia.  Many  members  of  the  Society  of 
Friends  were  also  present.  The  addresses  were  listened  to  with 
close  attention  and  enthusiastically  applauded.  Especially  was 
this  observed  at  every  reference  to  the  old-fashioned  orthodoxy 
of  our  Church  and  predicted  progress  not  away  from,  but  along, 
the  old  lines  of  truth. 

Of  course  the  presence  of  the  President  and  of  one  of  his  Cab- 
inet and  of  Pennsylvania's  popular  governor  drew  many  to  the  cele- 
bration, but  that  the  occasion  itself  possessed  the  chief  interest  was 
shown  in  the  afternoon,  when,  after  the  President  had  retired,  a 
still  larger  audience  crowded  the  huge  tents  and  patiently  endured 
the  heat  until  the  programme  was  completed.  The  addresses  were 
worthy  of  the  occasion,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  they  cannot 
all  be  given  in  full  in  this  Appendix. 

One  of  the  exceedingly  pleasant  features  connected  with  the  cele- 
bration was  the  widespread  interest  shown  in  it.  The  secular  papers 
of  Philadelphia  and  vicinity  spared  no  pains  to  secure  full  and 
accurate  reports.  Every  one  of  our  denominational  papers  devoted 
a  great  deal  of  space  to  it,  and  through  their  editorial  columns 
called  the  attention  of  their  readers  to  its  significance.  Not  only 
is  this  so,  but  nearly  all  the  other  denominational  papers  made 
special  mention  of  it  in  most  complimentary  terms ;  the  New  York 
Independent  may  be  quoted  as  expressing  the  sentiment  of  all : 

"  We  have  special  reference  to  the  celebration  of  the  founding  of  the 
Old  Log  College,  which  was  the  occasion  of  one  of  the  greatest  gather- 
ings of  Presbyterians  this  country  has  ever  seen.  We  may  simply  say 
that  what  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  was  to  Congregationalism  in  this 
country,  the  founding  of  the  Log  College  has  been  to  Presbyterianism. 
The  after-influence  of  the  small  and  slender  institution  was  not  over- 
estimated last  week,  and  the  vast  throng,  which  included  the  President 
of  the  United  States  and  the  dean  of  Princeton,  was  not  over-enthusiastic. 
The  event  merited  it  all." 

MORNING  SESSION. 

At  eleven  o'clock.  Rev.  Thomas  Murphy,  D.  D.,  who  had  been 
appointed  to  preside  by  Presbytery,  called  the  gathering  to  order 
and  introduced  J.  Addison  Henry,  D.  D.,  of  Philadelphia,  who  read 
the  hymn,  "  All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell."  Joseph  Beggs, 
D.  D.,  of  Falls  of  Schuykill,  read  the  Scriptures.  The  Rev.  L. 
W.  Eckard  of  Abington  offered  prayer : 


APPENDIX.  507 


PRAYER. 

Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  of  Sabaoth !  Heaven  and  earth  are  full 
of  the  majesty  of  Thy  glory.  Grant  unto  us,  just  now,  the  spirit  of 
grace  and  supplication,  and  enable  us  to  draw  nigh  to  Thee  in  the  full 
assurance  of  faith. 

We  give  thanks  for  Thy  goodness  and  the  multitude  of  Thy  mercies 
in  that  ThdU  hast  created  us  in  Tiiine  image,  redeemed  us  by  Thy  Son 
and  sanctified  us  by  Thy  Spirit.  Thou  hast  ma<le  us,  who  had  nothing, 
to  inherit  all  things.  Blessing  and  honor  and  glory  and  power  be 
ascribed  unto  Thee  for  evermore. 

We  have  heard  with  our  ears,  0  God,  our  fathers  have  told  us,  what 
work  Thou  didst  in  their  days,  in  the  times  of  old.  Thou  didst  establish 
a  covenant  with  them,  and  didst-cast  the  lot  of  their  inheritance  in  this 
New  World.  We  praise  Thee  that  here  Freedom  was  proclaimed — that 
here  Faith  was  established — that  here  God  Himself  built  up  Zion. 

And  to-day  we  would  make  mention  especially  of  Thy  favor,  O  Lord, 
in  sending  to  this  place  where  we  are  assembled  one  who  was  i)ermitted 
to  establish  an  institution  of  learning,  a  school  of  the  prophets,  which 
became  so  beneficent  to  Thy  Church,  so  useful  to  the  land  we  love.  For 
all  thus  accomplished,  for  all  the  impulse  here  given  to  truth  and  right- 
eousness and  effort  for  God's  cause,  we  praise  Thee. 

And  for  Thy  care  as  well  over  that  great  branch  of  the  Church  catholic 
with  which  we  are  connected  we  offer  thanks.  It  was  as  an  handful  of 
corn  in  the  earth,  upon  the  top  of  the  mountains.  Lo  1  the  fruit  thereof 
now  shaketh  like  Lebanon. 

May  our  pastors  and  people  continue  to  enjoy  Thy  governance,  and, 
clothed  upon  by  Thy  power,  evermore  discharge  their  several  duties 
according  to  Thy  pleasure.  Bless  Thy  heritage;  jmrge  from  it  all  error 
and  corruption  ;  confirm  in  it  all  that  is  right;  build  it  up  yet  more  and 
more.  Thou  Holy  One  of  Israel. 

We  commend  to  Thee  our  country.  Make  it  Immanuel's  land.  Es- 
tablish here  Thy  throne.  King  of  kings.  Bless  Thy  servant  the  President 
of  these  United  States  and  his  Cabinet  counselors  and  the  governors  of 
our  several  commonwealths.  May  tiiese  all  receive  the  spirit  of  wisdom 
and  so  be  led  to  seek  Thy  iionor  and  the  welfare,  peace  and  hapi)iness  of 
all  who  dwell  within  our  borders.  God  bless  the  Church  1  God  save  the 
State! 

And  now  unto  Him  who  loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His 
own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  His  Father,  to 
Him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

The  hymn  "  Praise  the  Lord ;  ye  heavens,  adore  Ilim,"  read  by 
the  Rev.  Charles  E.  Bums  of  Manayunk,  was  then  sung. 

At  this  point  the  Presidential  party  arrived.   They  were  eecorted 


508  APPENDIX. 

by  the  ushers  to  the  platform,  and  received  by  the  large  audience 
standing  and  with  cheers. 

The  Rev.  D.  K.  Turner  of  Hartsville  read  a  paper  on  "  The  Log 
College."     He  said : 

Rev.  William  Tennent,  Sr.,  the  founder  of  "  Log  College,"  was  an 
Episcopal  clergyman  in  Ireland,  who  married  Miss  Catharine  Kennedy, 
daughter  of  a  Presbyterian  minister  in  that  country.  In  1716  or  1717 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic.  In  1718,  being  dissatisfied  with  the  doctrines 
and  government  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  he  united  with  the  Presby- 
terian Synod.  For  more  than  six  years,  from  May,  1720,  to  September, 
1726,  he  was  pastor  in  Bedford,  N.  Y.,  and  in  Stamford,  Conn. 

In  the  autumn  of  1726  or  the  spring  of  1727  he  removed  from  Bedford. 
It  is  possible  that  Mr.  Tennent  did  not  come  to  Neshaminy  till  1727,  for 
he  was  not  present  at  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  September  21,  1726. 
In  the  graveyard-wall  of  the  Neshaminy  church  of  Warwick  there  is  an 
ancient  stoue,  with  the  date  cut  on  it  "  1727,"  which  was  in  the  old 
church  and  was  carefully  preserved  when  that  building  was  taken  down. 
So  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  that  was  the  year  when  the  first  house  of 
worship  was  erected  in  this  neighborhood. 

The  precise  spot  at  which  Mr.  Tennent  resided  and  conducted  his  the- 
ological seminary  the  first  eight  years  is  unkuown.  September  11, 1735, 
he  bought  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  on  a  part  of  which  we  now  are, 
of  John  White  of  Philadelphia.  During  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  he 
occupied  these  acres  now  around  us.  His  residence  was  on  this  side  of 
the  "York  Road,"  and  the  building  in  which  the  young  men  studied 
and  recited  was  just  opposite  on  the  other  side,  only  a  few  rods  off. 

The  school-house  was  of  log,  about  eighteen  by  twenty  feet  in  size  and 
perhaps  two  stories  high.  In  it  the  students  spent  most  of  the  day,  and 
lodged  at  night  with  their  preceptor  or  with  families  in  the  vicinity. 
The  house  which  stands  where  his  dwelling  formerly  stood  may  properly 
be  spoken  of  as  his  dwelling  rebuilt;  the  west  end,  containing  a  large 
stone  chimney,  is  standing  now  much  as  it  was  when  he  resided  here. 
Within  the  fireplace  of  that  chimney  there  was,  until  a  few  years  since, 
a  wooden  crane,  large  and  strong,  on  which  it  is  commonly  believed  the 
pots  and  kettles  hung  wherein  the  students'  dinner  was  boiled,  and  their 
mush  was  cooked  from  corn  grown  on  the  ground  under  our  feet.  Be- 
fore the  logs  were  all  decayed  Rev.  Robert  B.  Belville,  for  a  long  period 
pastor  here,  had  a  cane  made  from  one  of  them  and  presented  it  to 
Samuel  Miller,  D.  D.,  of  Princeton  College. 

Besides  Mr.  Tennent's  sons,  the  names  of  the  following  persons  have 
come  down  to  us  as  having  been  under  his  instruction  in  theology: 
Samuel  Blair,  John  Blair,  Samuel  Finley,  D.  D.,  Hamilton  Bell,  John 
Rowland,  William  Robinson,  Charles  Beatty,  James  McCrea,  John 
Campbell,  John  Roan,  William  Dean,  Daniel  Lawrence,  David  Alexan- 
der. Whitefield  in  November,  1739,  spent  a  night  with  Mr.  Tennent  on 
this  property,  and  wrote  thus  concerning  the  seminary :  "  From  this 
despised  place  seven  or  eight  worthy  ministers  of  Jesus  have  lately  been 
sent  forth ;  more  are  almost  ready  to  be  sent,  and  the  foundation  is  now 
laying  for  the  instruction  of  many  others." 

The  church-edifice  in  which  old  Mr.  Tennent  preached  is  not  now 
standing.  It  was  on  ground  which  is  at  present  included  in  Neshaminy 
Cemetery,  near  the  house  of  worship  of  Neshaminy  congregation.  His 
remains  lie  in  the  graveyard,  a  few  rods  from  the  site  of  the  meeting- 
house in  which  he  held  forth  the  word  of  life.    On  the  large  flat  marble 


APPENDIX.  509 

slab  covering  his  grave  it  is  recorded  that  he  died  May  6,  1746.    His 
will  was  made  in  February,  1745,  and  he  died  shortly  after. 


"  Log -College  Evangelists  "  was  the  title  of  the  address  of  R.  M. 
Patterson,  D. D.,  LL.D.,  of  Philadelphia,  as  follows: 

The  cautious  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  has  declared:  "The  Presby- 
terian Church  is  not  more  indebted  for  her  prosperity  and  for  the  evan- 
gelical spirit  which  has  generally  pervaded  her  body  to  any  individual 
than  to  the  elder  Tennent." 

The  founder  of  the  Log  College  deserves  that  transcendent  commenda- 
tion because — 

1.  He  began  the  movement  that  thoroughly  Americanized  and  Pres- 
byterianized  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  America. 

2.  He  insisted  that  the  first  and  the  essential  qualification  for  a  true 
minister  of  the  gospel  is  vital  piety. 

3.  He  held  that  wiien  Crod  bestowed  extraordinary  gifts  upon  a  man, 
he  was  not  to  be  kept  from  preaching  the  gospel  because  he  could  not  go 
through  a  college  curriculum. 

4.  Accepting  the  birthright  membership  of  the  children  of  members 
of  the  Church,  he  contended  that  for  full  communion  they  should  exhibit 
the  evidences  of  regeneration  in  the  fruits  of  piety. 

5.  He  believed  in  revival  and  awakening  seasons. 

The  "  Log-College  evangelists  "  wiioni  William  Tennent  trained  for 
the  ministrv  leavened  the  whole  Church  witli  these  views. 

Gilbert  tennent  was  first  a  pastor  in  New  Jersey.  He  then  settled  in 
the  Second  church,  Philadelphia,  and  left  his  imi>rcss  on  that  city,  which 
is  the  metropolis  of  Presbyterianism  in  the  United  States. 

John  Tennent,  spiritual  and  seraphic,  a  Robert  Murray  McCheyne, 
died  when  twenty-five  years  of  age,  after  a  pastorate  of  only  seventeen 
months  in  Freehold,  N.  J. 

William  Tennent,  Jr.,  through  whose  life  one  can  scarcely  resist  the 
conviction  that  there  ran  a  line  of  the  supernatural  and  the  miraculous, 
succeeded  his  brother  in  Freehold,  and  continued  tiie  influence  begun 
by  him. 

Charles  Tennent,  at  White  Clay  Creek,  Delaware,  and  Buckingham, 
Maryland,  helped  quietly  to  mould  what  has  ever  since  been  a  strong 
Presbyterian  region. 

tktmnel  Blair,  profoundly  learned  and  deeply  pious,  labonxl  for  four 
years  in  Shrewsbury,  New  Jersey,  and  then  in  l-agg's  Manor,  Pennsyl- 
vania, for  twelve  years,  estal)lishing  there  a  classical  school  from  which 
went  such  men  as  Samuel  Davies  and  John  Rodgers.  He  and  Gilbert 
Tennent  were  the  ecclesiastical  leaders  of  their  party  in  maintaining 
the  Log-College  principles  through  the  unhappy  internecine  struggles 
of  the  Church. 

John  Blair,  the  brother  of  Samuel,  first  settled  in  the  Cumberland 
Valley  at  the  Rig  Spring  or  Newville ;  then  followed  Samuel  at  Fagg's 
Manor  as  preacher  and  teacher ;  afterward  becoming  professor  of  the- 
ology in  and  vice-president  of  Princeton  College. 

Samuel  Finley,  alter  itinerating  as  an  evangelist  through  Southern 
New  Jersey,  settled  in  Nottingham,  Maryland,  for  seventeen  years,  and 
instituted  an  academy  there  in  which  some  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  in  the  Church  and  State  were  educated,  and  then  wa^i  the  president 
of  Princeton  College. 

William  Robinson,  the  son  of  an  English  Quaker,  entered  the  ministry 


510  APPENDIX. 

from  the  Log  College  and  devoted  himself  to  evangelistic  labors  among 
the  poor  and  outlying  populations,  and  during  the  short  period  of  his 
life  of  five  years  in  the  ministry  was  "  the  instrument  in  the  conversion 
of  as  many  souls  as  any  minister  who  ever  lived  in  this  country." 

John  Rowland,  a  fervent  Welshman,  was  the  man  whose  licensure  by 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  against  the  diploma  rule  of  Synod  led 
to  the  Schism.  He  too  was  a  powerful  awakening  preacher ;  under  his 
ministry  were  wonderful  works  of  grace  wrought  first  at  Maidenhead  and 
Hopewell,  New  Jersey,  then  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania.  The  elders  of  the 
Great  (Chester)  Valley  church,  intensely  Old  Side  in  the  Schism,  shut 
its  doors  and  barred  its  pulpit  against  him  one  Sabbath  morning,  and 
turned  him  into  the  fields  to  preach ;  the  pastor  of  that  church  here 
pronounces  an  unstinted  eulogy  upon  him ! 

Charles  Beatty's  life  was  in  some  respects  the  most  versatile  of  all. 
Entering  as  a  student  and  graduating,  he  became  the  successor  of  its 
founder  in  the  Neshamimy  church,  was  a  missionary  to  the  Indians, 
preaching  the  first  Protestant  sermon  on  the  site  of  Pittsburgh,  and  was 
the  ecclesiastical  diplomat  of  the  day. 

Thus  these  ten  men,  so  multiform  in  their  gifts,  covered  the  whole 
Church  from  New  York  to  Carolina. 

Their  principles  are  now  commonplace  among  us.     But  they  werQ_ 
bitterly  opposed  in  the  beginning  and  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
The  Log-College  men  in  maintaining  them  became  in  part  the  innocent 
occasion  and  in  part  the  guilty  cause  of  a  division  of  the  Church  which 
lasted  from  1741  to  1758. 

It  was  the  day  of  small  things  for  the  American  Presbyterian  Church. 
In  1726,  when  the  Log  College  was  opened,  there  were  only  twenty-seven 
ministers  in  the  denomination.  In  1743,  on  the  consummated  division, 
there  were  only  fifty-one.  At  the  reunion  tbere  were  only  ninety-four 
ministers.  But  the  unhappy  strife  ended,  and  the  Log-College  principles 
prevailing,  the  Church  began  to  grow  rapidly. 

That  growth,  however,  met  with  a  severe  check  from  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Presbyterians  to  a  man  were  patriots.  We  have  not,  with  back- 
ward step,  to  cover  the  Tory  nakedness  of  any  of  our  ecclesiastical 
ancestors.  And  the  destroying  havoc  of  war  surged  specially  over  the 
section  of  the  land  in  which  our  congregations  were  located.  The 
enemy  particularly  hated  them.  These  congregations  were,  therefore, 
fearfully  crippled.  Comparative  data  show  that  there  were  not  in 
the  whole  land  at  the  close  of  the  war  ten  thousand  members  of  our 
Church.  In  1807,  the  first  year  we  have  the  ofiicial  figures  of  com- 
municants, there  were  only  17,871,  with  330  ministers  and  598  churches, 
in  a  general  population  of  about  seven  millions.  There  are  now,  in  all 
the  branches  of  Presbyterianism  in  the  land,  over  10,000  ministers, 
nearly  13,000  churches,  over  1,500,000  communicants,  fully  as  many 
Sabbath-school  members,  with  26  theological  seminaries,  46  colleges 
and  universities  and  academies,  and  schools  without  number,  controlled 
by  them.  Here  is  the  Ramah  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Church. 
Here  began  our  schools  of  the  prophets. 

The  same  heavens  are  over  us  to-day  that  were  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  years  ago.  The  same  green  pasture-fields  (Naioth)  where  the  sons 
of  the  prophets  abode  are  around  us.  The  old  beautiful  scenes  of  Nature 
are  still  here.  But  the  little  rustic  log  building,  eighteen  by  twenty  feet, 
has  disappeared.  From  it,  however,  were  developed  not  merely  Prince- 
ton College  and  Seminary,  Lafayette  and  Hampden-Sidney,  which  are  to 
be  heard  from  to-day,  but  all  the  colleges  and  theological  seminaries 
which  are  training  the  young  men  of  the  Church  for  its  ministry.     It 


APPENDIX.  611 

still  lives  in  each  and  all  of  them.    And  its  site  is  still  here.    Verily  it 
is  sacred.     The  place  whereon  we  stand  is  holy  ground. 

President  F.  L.  Patton  of  Princeton  College,  who  was  to  have 
been  the  next  speaker,  was  prevented  from  attending  by  the  death 
of  his  little  son.  His  place  was  taken  by  the  Kev.  Dr.  J.  O.  Mur- 
ray, dean  of  the  faculty  of  Princeton  College.  Dr.  Murray  said 
that  although  he  was  unable  to  trace  the  exact  connection  between 
the  two,  he  \v<is  sure  Princeton  owed  very  much  of  what  it  is  to-day 
to  the  beginning  of  things  at  Neshaniiny.  He  liked  the  modesty 
of  those  early  teachers.  They  called  their  institution  "  Log  Col- 
lege," and  not  "Neshaminy  University." 

We  owe  more  to  the  founders  of  institutions  than  to  those  who  carry 
them  on.  They  endure  the  self-sacrifice  of  meagre  salaries  and  attend- 
ant labors.  For  their  successors  ample  endowments  and  special  depart- 
ments make  toil  far  easier. 

He  was  ghid  to  say  that  Princeton  College  is  largely  perpetuating  the 
spirit  of  the  Log  College.  It  has  seventy  sons  of  clergymen  on  its  roll 
and  seventy  candidates  for  the  ministry,  and  contributes  in  free  tuition 
not  less  than  ten  thousand  dollars  a  year. 

No  institutions  are  more  long-lived  than  institutions  of  learning. 
Roundhead  and  Cavalier  have  disappeared  from  English  history ;  Oxford 
and  Cambridge,  which  looked  down  on  their  conflicts,  flourish  more 
vigorously  than  ever.  Such  a  university  as  that  of  Bologna  has  seen 
kingdoms  rise  and  fall  and  has  taken  a  new  lease  of  life.  The  work 
of  the  men  who  started  Log  College,  which  resulted  in  the  founding 
of  Princeton  and  other  colleges  all  over  our  country,  can  only  be 
measured  when  the  life  of  those  great  institutions  has  been  fully 
developed  and  their  history  fully  written. 

The  hymn,  "Come,  Thou  Almighty  King,"  read  by  the  Rev. 
Richard  Montgomery  of  Ashbourne,  was  sung,  after  which  the 
Rev.  Richard  Mcllwaine,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  president  of  Hampden- 
Sidney  College,  Virginia,  read  a  careful  and  comprehensive  paper 
on  "  The  Influence  of  the  Log  College  in  the  South." 

He  alluded  to  the  migration  of  those  Pennsylvanians  who  had  come 
under  the  influence  of  the  Log  College  into  Maryland,  Virginia,  and 
North  and  South  Carolina.  He  traced  the  visits  "of  the  Rev.  William 
Robinson  and  his  successor,  Samuel  Davies,  to  those  localities,  and  re- 
ferred to  the  work  of  John  Roan,  Samuel  Finley,  the  Tennont.-*  and  the 
Blairs  in  that  region.  He  dwelt  particularly  on  the  success  of  Davies, 
who  was  termed  the  "  Apostle  of  \  irginia,"  and  in  quoting  from  a  sketch 
of  that  pioneer  of  the  Church,  said,  "  To  no  one  man,  in  a  religious  point 
of  view,  does  the  State  owe  so  much.  No  one  can  claim  a  more  affection- 
ate remembrance  by  Christian  people.  If  the  Log  College  had  done 
nothing  more  than  lend  this  incomparable  man  to  Virginia,  it  would 
be  entitled  to  the  everlasting  gratitude,  not  only  of  the  South,  but  of  the 
world,  for  it  was  through  his  instrumentality,  in  part,  that  the  principles 
of  human  freedom  were  first  formally  acknowledged  and  enacted  as  fun- 


512  APPENDIX. 

damental  law.  He  laid  particular  stress  on  the  number  of  institutions 
founded  by  men  who  were  the  product  of  the  Log  College.  He  referred 
principally  to  Washington  College,  now  Washington  and  Lee  University, 
and  Hampden-Sidney  College,  the  Alma  Mater  of  President  William 
Henry  Harrison,  and  traced  the  history  of  these  institutions,  showing 
the  progress  they  have  made  under  the  principles  of  Presbyterianism." 
Concluding,  he  said :  "And  thus  does  the  influence  of  the  Log  College 
survive  in  the  institutions  it  originated  and  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of 
the  men  it  has  helped."* 

Dr.  Murphy,  introducing  President  Harrison,  said : 

We  cannot  utter  the  weight  of  obligation  we  are  under  to  the  Presi- 
dent for  being  with  us  to-day.  He  is  here  at  a  great  sacrifice  of  time, 
and  had  we  known  the  burden  that  presses  upon  him  we  would  scarcely 
have  had  the  heart  to  ask  him  to  be  here. 

He  suggested  that  the  audience  manifest  its  gratitude  to  the 
President  for  his  presence,  which  suggestion  was  promptly  taken 
up  by  the  entire  audience  rising  and  cheering. 

The  President  rose  and  bowed   his  acknowledgments,  and  Dr. 

Murphy  further  remarked  that  as  the  President  was  suffering  from 

fatigue  he  would  call  upon  him  to  speak  at  once,  so  as  not  to  detain 

him  into  the  afternoon.     He  introduced  him  by  saying : 

"  One  of  the  sublimest  sights  this  earth  ever  can  afibrd  is  that  of  the 
Chief  Magistrate  of  sixty  millions  of  people  taking  part  in  a  religious 
gathering  such  as  this." 

President  Harrison  came  forward  amid  prolonged  applause.    The 

audience,  responding  to  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  gave  three 

hearty  cheers. 

My  Friends  :  I  have  had  illustrated  here  to-day  one  of  the  conspicu- 
ous traits  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Nothing,  I  assure  you,  short  of 
a  robust  embodiment  of  the  doctrine  of  the  perseverance  of  the  saints, 
in  the  person  of  our  distinguished  brother  who  presides  over  these  exer- 
cises, could  have  overcome  the  difficulties  which  seemed  to  be  in  the  way 
of  my  meeting  with  you  to-day.  I  have  had  also  illustrated,  I  regret  to 
say,  another  trait,  which  I  have  observed  in  the  non-ecclesiastical  world 
more  than  once,  and  very  much  to  my  discomfort,  and  which  I  thought 
would  be  absent  here.  And  I  must  trace  it,  I  suppose,  to  the  same 
responsible  source.  I  never,  at  any  time,  promised  to  make  an  address 
on  this  occasion.  (Laughter.)  I  have  authorized  no  one  to  say  so. 
(Laughter.)  Indeed,  among  those  direful  incidents  which  accompany 
the  Presidency  of  the  United  States,  and  which  have  been  so  graphi- 
cally described  by  Dr.  Murphy,  there  is  none  more  embarrassing  than 
this  of  being  constantly  associated  upon  the  platform  or  at  the  banquet- 
table  with  gentlemen  who  have  manuscripts  in  their  pockets.  (Laugh- 
ter.) It  is  altogether  unfair,  and  I  expected  in  this  great  meeting  of  my 
Presbyterian  brethren  more  hospitable  treatment.  (Applause.)  And  yet 
I  have  pleasure  in  being  here,  for  every  impulse  of  honorable  pride 

*  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  through  absence  from  home  Dr.  Mcllwaine  was 
prevented  from  furnishing  a  fuller  synopsis  of  his  admirable  paper. 


1 


APPENDIX.  51 3 

which  stirs  your  heart  moves  mine.  I  am  glad  to  stand  at  the  source 
of  a  great  movement.  I  Jiave  seen  tlie  Mi.s.Hi.s8ip])i  River  ^)Ouring  out 
its  great  torrent  into  tlie  (tulf  and  opening  a  way  inland  tor  an  enor- 
mous commerce,  and  I  wa.s  glad  to  stand  a  few  years  ago  where  the 
Gallatin,  Jert'erson  and  JIadison  combine  to  form  the  Missouri  and  send 
it  on  its  great  course  to  the  sea.  On  this  spot,  about  which  there  are 
gathered  so  many  iiistorii  al  as-sociations,  we  celebrate  one  of  those  great 
impulses  born  of  (!o(l  and  that  will  do  God's  work  until  the  world  shall 
cease  to  move.     (Applause.) 

I  stand  awed  before  the  thought  of  what  the  great  day  will  reveal  as 
the  fruit  of  this  modest  but  pious  and  courageous  effort,  the  institution 
of  the  Log  College — the  wholesome  fruit  of  faith.  Only  tiie  eye  of  Crod 
can  follow  those  tender  and  imperceptible  filaments  of  mental  and  moral 
influence  that  touch  our  lives.  If  it  could  be  revealed  to  us  to-day,  how 
many  in  this  great  audience,  gathered  from  remote  sections  of  our  coun- 
try, would  see  the  silver  thread  by  which  they  had  been  drawn  into  the 
Church  of  God  reaching  back  to  efforts  that  were  started  here!  It  is 
pleasant  to  believe  that  that  which  is  now  hidden  to  our  eyes  will  some 
day  be  known,  and  that  we  will  be  able  better  to  realize  what  these 
men   wrought  for  God   and  for  mankind. 

I  do  not  want  unduly  to  exalt  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  yet  I 
think  the  historians  wlio  have  been  untouched  by  the  partiality  of 
membership  will  say  that  it  has  been,  as  a  body,  magnificently  char- 
acterized by  faithfuln&ss  to  God  and  human  liberty.  (Apnlause.)  If 
some  have  supposed  that  it  wius  not  a  progressive  Church,  that  its  creed 
was  hard,  let  us  not  forget  that  there  are  times  in  the  development  of 
affairs,  both  secular  and  spiritual,  when  the  rock  must  be  opposed  to  the 
sword  of  error.  We  have  been  progressive  toward  the  truth,  and  not 
from  it.  Steadfastness  our  enemies  have  called  obstinacy.  Well,  even 
that  characteristic  hiw  its  occasions  and  its  services.  We  are  to-day,  as 
a  Church,  in  the  most  affectionate  fellowship  with  all  who  revere  the 
great  doctrines  of  the  Christian  f^iith  and  practice  them.     (Ajiplause.) 

The  great  period  of  polemical  and  acrimonious  ecclesiastical  discus- 
sion has  its  day  and  its  use.  If  we  are  now  come  into  a  day  when  essen- 
tials have  been  magnified  and  non-essentials  have  been  set  in  their  subor- 
dinate place,  let  us  rejoice  that  we  may  unite  our  efforts  with  those  who 
would  lift  up  mankind,  and,  while  still  loving  the  Church,  the  banner 
that  designates  the  regiment  to  which  we  belong,  let  us  rejoice  that  wo 
are  one  army. 

Let  me  kindly  thank  you  for  this  most  cordial  and  brotherly  greeting. 
Let  me  wish  that  this  <lay  may  close  under  auspices  as  pleasant  as  it  ha.s 
opened.  I  hope  all  will  carry  away  from  this  occasion  the  instructive 
lessons  which  you  have  heard  from  the  manuscripts. 

The  exercises  of  the  morning  were  concluded  with  the  singing 
of  the  Memorial  Hymn,  compo.«ed  and  also  read  by  Charles  Col- 
lins, D.  D. : 

Father  divine,  to  Thee 

Humbly  wo  bow 
With  reverence,  godly  fear; 

Help  us  just  now. 
Subdued  each  worldly  thought, 
Our  minds  with  j)raises  fraught, 
Thy  gracious  Spirit  sought, 

Bless  us,  we  pray. 

88 


514  APPENDIX. 

Here  on  this  festal  day, 

In  calm  review, 
Brightly  through  memory  comes 

The  old  and  new. 
Here  men  of  God  bequeathed 
The  "  sword  of  truth  "  unsheathed 
"  Faith,  Hope  and  Love  "  were  wreathed ; 

Rich  legacy. 

Here  on  this  hallowed  spot 

Glad  songs  we  raise, 
Hearts  filled  with  gratitude, 

Songs  filled  with  praise. 
Join  we  the  rapturous  song, 
Now  with  the  blood-washed  throng 
Saved  ! — let  the  sound  prolong 

On  this  glad  day. 

Now  let  the  chorus  break 

O'er  glen  and  hill  ; 
Let  every  voice  resound 

With  heartfelt  thrill. 
Inspired  be  every  mind, 
With  love  and  praise  combined. 
To  God,  supremely  kind. 

This  glorious  day. 

O  God  of  grace !  to  Thee 

Fervent  we  pray ; 
Strengthen  and  plead  Thy  cause 

Each  passing  day. 
God  of  our  fathers,  hear, 
Make  us  through  life  sincere, 
May  we  our  trust  revere — 

Accept  our  lay. 

Preceded  by  the  mounted  escort  and  the  Grand  Army  Post,  the 
ushers  escorted  the  Presidential  party,  the  speakers  and  a  large 
number  of  invited  guests  to  luncheon.  The  blessing  was  asked  by 
the  Rev.  J.  Witherspoon  Scott,  D.  D.,  of  Washington,  D.  C. 


AFTERNOON   SESSION. 

The  first  address  in  the  afternoon  was  by  the  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Erskine,  D.  D.,  of  Newville,  Pennsylvania,  on  "  Presbyterians  of 
the  Cumberland  Valley." 

Dr.  Erskine,  after  describing  the  Cumberland  Valley  and 
showing  that  its  original  settlers  were  almost  exclusively  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterians,  then  showed — 


APPENDIX.  515 

1.  Who  iiiul  what  the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  were. 

2.  That  nine-tenths  of  tliose  who  came  as  early  settlers  of  the  Cum- 
berland Valley  were  of  tliis  peoj)le. 

3.  That  the  peculiarity  of  the  I'resbyterians  of  the  Cuniherliind  Valley 
is  that  liere  for  forty  years  was  to  be  seen  a  Scotch  and  iScotcii- Irish  Pres- 
byterian settlement  more  universal  and  extended  than  was  to  be  seen 
anywhere  else  upon  this  continent.  Their  chief  peculiarity  was  due  to 
the  providential  and  religious  training  which  tiiey  had  received. 

Now,  what  of  the  relation  of  the  Log  College  to  the  Cumberland  Val- 
ley ?  8oon  after  the  withdrawal  of  tiie  New  Side  party  from  the  Synod  in 
1741  the  people  of  Hopewell,  which  included  Hig  Spring,  Middle  Spring 
and  Kocky  Spring  congregations  and  the  New  Side  portions  of  l)erry, 
U])per  Peniisboro',  Conococheague  and  other  parts  of  congregations, 
sent  supplications  to  the  New  Side  Presbyteries  of  New  Castle  and 
New  Brunswick  for  supplies,  and  Revs.  Campbell  and  Rowhwul  were 
sent  to  visit  them. 

Rev.  John  Rowland  was  a  strong  and  impressive  i)reacher,  and  his 
ministry  was  extraordinarily  blessed  in  what  is  now  Lawrcnceville  and 
Pennington,  New  Jersey.  When  he  came  into  the  Cumberland  \'alley 
he  came  fresh  from  these  revival  scenes,  and  much  in  the  spirit  of  White- 
field  and  the  Tennents.  Mr.  Rowland's  preaching  is  represented  as  hav- 
ing been  with  great  power  and  marked  results  through  all  these  congre- 
gations. 

In  1742,  Big  Spring,  Middle  Spring  and  Rocky  Spring  churches  united 
in  calling  Rev.  John  Blair,  an  alumnus  of  the  Log  College  and  a  licen- 
tiate of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  to  become  their  jjastor.  Mr.  Blair 
continued  pa.-<tor  of  these  three  congregations  probably  until  17ot).  John 
Blair,  like  his  brother  Samuel,  was  among  the  most  talented  and  gifted 
ministers  of  his  day.  He  is  believed  to  iiave  had  no  superior  as  a  the- 
ologian at  that  time.  He  wiis  a  man  of  strong  convictions  with  respect 
to  the  doctrines  of  grace,  and  preaclied  them  with  great  clearness  and 
force.  In  the  inscription  upon  his  tomb  be  is  spoken  of  as  a  man  of 
genius,  a  good  scholar,  an  excellent  divine,  an  eminent  Christian,  a  man 
of  great  prudence  and  a  laborious  and  successful  minister,  who  lived 
greatly  beloved  and  died  greatly  lamented. 

Rev.  Jolin  Roan,  an  alumnus  of  the  Log  College,  was  settled  over  the 
united  New  Side  congregations  of  Paxton,  Derry  and  Conewago  in  174o, 
and  labored  there  until  his  death  in  1775,  and  lies  buried  in  the  grave- 
yard at  Derry.  On  his  tomb  is  inscribed,  "  Here  lie  the  remains  of  an 
able,  faithful,  courageous  and  successful  minister  of  Christ." 

And,   finally,   Dr.   F5enjamin   Rush   and    (rovernor   John    Dickinson, 

Suj>ils  of  Dr.  Samuel  Finley,  an  alumnus  of  the  Log  College,  while  at 
ottingham,  Maryland,  and  therefore  grandsons  of  the  Log  College, 
were  the  founders  of  Dickinson  College. 

Few  i)arts  of  the  Church  or  country  therefore  received  a  more  direct 
or  deeper  impress  from  the  Log  College  than  the  Cumberland  Valley. 

Mr.  William  H.  Scott  read  the  hymn,  "  Our  God,  our  Help  in 
ages  past,"  which  was  sung,  after  wliich  Pennsylvania's  Cliief 
Executive  was  introduced,  and  receiveil  witli  hearty  apphui-se. 

ADDRESS  OF  GOVERNOR   BEAVER. 

Ladies  and  Gexti.e.men:  These  surroundings  are  as  interesting  aa 
the  occasion  is  peculiar.     We  have  met  ti^cbiy  to  celebrate  the  foumling 


516  APPENDIX. 

of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America.  This  is 
not  the  spot  on  which  any  of  the  earlier  churches  were  located ;  this  is 
not,  so  far  as  I  know,  a  special  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  any  par- 
ticular one  of  the  early  churches.  We  have  assetnbled  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Log  College  and  here  hold  this  commemorative  service,  not  because 
the  college  preceded  in  point  of  time  the  founding  of  the  earlier  churches, 
nor  because  the  first  churches  in  this  country  were  in  any  way  connected 
with  the  college  or  the  locality,  but  the  rather  because,  until  the  estab- 
lishment of  this  college,  Presbyterianism  in  the  United  States  had  no 
solid  foundations  and  no  assured  future.  We  speak  of  the  occasion, 
therefore,  as  the  "old  Log-College  celebration,"  and  couple  it  with  the 
founding  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  America  because  the  founding 
of  the  college  gave  assurance  of  the  desire  among  the  people  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  New  Jersey  to  secure  the  perpetuation  of  a  Church  which 
should  be  Presbyterian  in  form  and  be  characterized  by  the  methods, 
the  principles  and  the  faith  which  its  members  had  brought  with  them 
from  the  mother-country. 

I  am  not  a  son  of  the  old  Log  College  nor  of  any  of  the  institutions 
which  have  grown  directly  from  it:  I  claim,  however,  a  right  to  be  here, 
because,  if  we  can  recognize  an  ancestry  so  remote  in  educational  insti- 
tutions, I  am  its  grandson,  being  a  son  of  that  other  log  college  which 
John  McMillan  of  blessed  memory  planted  on  the  western  slope  of  the 
AUeghanies  after  receiving  his  early  education  from  the  legitimate  and 
rightful  successor  of  that  here  located  by  Tennent. 

The  building  itself  has  little  significance.  You  have  heard  of  its  plan 
and  physical  features.  They  were  not  different  from  many  buildings 
used  for  other  purposes  in  that  day."  The  primitive  building  of  logs 
with  its  exterior  chimney  and  rude  accompaniments  is  not  what  we 
magnify  and  celebrate  on  this  occasion.  Its  physical  features,  except  as 
they  are  indicative  of  the  times,  have  little  interest  for  us.  Our  cele- 
bration to-day  has  to  do  rather  with  the  thoughts,  the  aspirations,  the 
aims,  the  purposes  and  the  acts  of  the  men  who  wrought  through  this 
humble  institution  and  used  it  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  welfare  of 
their  fellow-men,  than  with  grounds  or  buildings  or  surroundings  or 
mere  outward  circumstances.  Metonymy  uses  the  container  for  the 
thing  contained,  the  sign  for  the  thing  signified ;  and  so  our  purposes 
should  be,  it  seems  to  me,  as  we  meet  on  this  occasion,  to  determine,  as 
far  as  jjossible,  what  the  Log  College  stood  for.  Of  what  is  it  the  sym- 
bol ?  As  we  look  back  upon  it  how  does  it  interpret  the  thought  and 
the  life  and  the  hope  of  the  men  who  founded  it  ?  Let  us  forget  the 
thing,  and  recall  and  vivify  and  magnify  the  thought.  What  does  the 
little  log  building,  diminutive  in  size,  rude  in  exterior,  contemptible  in 
appearance  and  perishable  in  material,  symbolize?  The  answer  to  this 
question  would  occupy  more  time  than  I  have  at  command  and  more 
than  is  allotted  to  this  entire  celebration. 

Briefly,  however,  we  recall  to-day  by  this  celebration,  the  love  of  lib- 
erty. Scarcely  had  the  breadth  and  scope  of  the  Commonwealth  which 
William  Penn  proposed  to  found  been  made  known  and  been  understood 
by  the  world  when  the  fathers,  taking  advantage  of  his  liberal  oflfer  and 
cordial  invitation,  sought  Pennsylvania's  hospitable  shores  to  found  a 
Church  based  upon  representative  government — a  government  distinct 
from  that  of  the  State,  maintaining  its  own  exclusive  spiritual  jurisdic- 
tion, and  yet  acknowledging  the  right  and  the  power  of  the  civil  author- 
ities to  rule  in  things  temporal.  Penn's  government  recognized  the 
right  of  private  judgment  and  the  exercise  of  the  individual  conscience  in 
the  worship  of  God.     Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  here  Presbyterianism 


APPENDIX.  517 

flourished? — that  under  such  a  government  lU  churches  were  founded 
and  its  first  coHojre  established?  New-Enf^hmd  exelusivencss  would  not 
tolerate  such  independence.  There  wiUJ  no  welcome  and  no  foothold  tor 
Presbyterianism  in  the  land  of"  the  Pilgrim  and  the  Puritan.  Our  I'athera 
loved  liberty — liberty  of"  conscience,  liberty  to  rule  the  Church  of  their 
choice  in  the  way  of  their  own  choosing,  and,  with  this  right  established, 
the  liberty  of  choosing  who  should  legislate  for  them  in  temporal  things. 
The  tap-root  of  Presbyterianism  in  America  was  the  love  of  liberty,  and 
here  its  early  advocates  f"ound  what  they  loved. 

The  Log  College  symbolizes  the  determination  of  the  fathers  to  main- 
tain the  character  of  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  learn- 
ing iis  well  as  piety.  A  ministTy  which  could  instruct  as  well  as  exhort 
hiis  ever  been  the  ideal  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mental  training 
as  well  a*  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  was  essential  to  such  a  ministry. 
iSuch  training  could  be  secured  only  through  years  of  ])alient  toil  and 
stuily.  How  could  the  Church  be  maintaineil  without  sucii  a  ministry? 
How  could  there  be  such  a  ministry  without  training?  How  secure  the 
training  without  teachers?  How  teach  without  the  college?  Hen(re 
the  determination  finding  expression  here  and  elsewhere  in  such  rude 
structures  as  the  elder  Tennent  founded,  built  and  maintained.  Put  the 
college  meant  more  than  this:  it  signified  an  advance  in  civili/.ation. 
Not  only  was  the  ministry  to  be  trained,  but  men  were  to  be  educated 
for  other  pursuits.  The  times  dentanded  knowletlge  and  mental  culture 
outside  the  |>ulpit.  It  was  not  wholly  a  struggle  for  bread  and  pliysical 
existence  in  this  new  land.  80  it  wa.s  natural  that  in  one  of  the  three 
counties  into  which  Penn's  province  was  originally  divided,  the  one  in 
which  he  had  his  residence,  and  before  a  single  new  county  had  been 
formed,  this  college  should  have  been  established — an  evidence,  on  the 
one  hand,  of  the  determination  of  the  fathers  to  i)erpetuate  the  learning 
of  the  ministry,  and  a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  community  and  the 
youth,  on  the  other,  to  secure  a  liberal  education. 

But  it  was  a  loq  college,  and  here  we  find  the  symbol  of  poverty.  The 
founders  loved  liberty;  they  were  men  of  high  resolve  and  ])atriotic 
pur|)Ose;  but  witli  them  the  gaining  of  a  livelihood  was  a  continued 
struggle.  The  forest  must  be  subdued,  the  land  must  be  tilled,  the 
children  must  be  fed,  but  the  college  must  ab<o  be  built.  How?  N'o 
materials  could  be  by  them  im])orted  from  home ;  no  financial  help 
could  be  secured  f"rom  a  proprietary  government  which,  whilst  it  tol- 
erated freedonj,  did  not  encourage  a  trained  and  hired  ministry.  The 
college,  if  established,  must  be  built  here,  as  elsewhere,  from  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  fields,  the  spinning-wheel,  the  loom,  and,  shall  we  acknowl- 
edge it,  the  still;  and  so  the  contributions  were  ma<le  in  kind,  and  the 
result  Wiis  emblematic  of  the  primitive  surroundings  of  the  founders.  The 
boys  could  not  be  sent  away  for  their  education,  Tiot  oidy  because  their 

[)arents  were  poor,  but  because  the  colleges  of  New  Kngland  ami  the 
lome-country  did  not  furnish  the  kind  of  education  which  our  Presby- 
terian ancestry  desired  for  their  children.  And  here  a|)peared  that 
sturdy  independence  of  which  the  college  WiW  at  once  the  product  and 
the  symbol.  We  must  be  independent  of  the  home-country  ;  we  miLst 
be  independent  of  New  Englan<l ;  we  must  found  our  own  institutions 
in  our  own  way ;  we  must  educate  our  sons  in  our  way  of  thinking  to 
take  our  places.  To  do  this  we  must  have  our  own  college.  S<i  the 
fathers  thought,  so  they  rciisoned,  so  they  acted. 

The  Log  College,  moreover,  is  the  symbol  of  expectation.  Hope  was 
one  of  its  corner-stones.  There  was  no  despondency  over  the  smallness 
of  the  beginnings;  there  were  no  tears  because  the  college  was  built  of 


518  APPENDIX. 

logs,  no  misgivings  because  the  students  were  few  in  number.  There  were 
patient  toil,  honest  endeavor  and  the  scant  offerings  of  poverty,  because 
there  was  joyous  expectation  of  the  triumphs  of  the  future.  This  hope 
was  coupled  with  strong  faith — faith  in  the  cause,  faith  in  the  results, 
faith  on  the  part  of  the  founders  in  themselves,  and,  above  all,  a  simple, 
unwavering  faith  in  the  God  who  uses  means  and  directs  results. 

As  we  look  back  upon  the  eventful  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  years 
which  have  passed  since  the  college  was  founded,  who  shall  say  that  it 
is  not  the  symbol  of  success?  Count  the  institutions  which  are  its  legiti- 
mate offspring.  Count,  if  you  can,  the  men  whose  characters  have  been 
moulded  in  them,  and  who,  because  of  that  moulding  influence,  have 
been  a  blessing  in  their  day  and  a  help  to  their  fellows.  Measure,  if 
you  can,  the  weighty  influences  which  have  been  felt  as  the  result  of 
them  in  Church  and  State.  Compute,  if  you  are  able  to  do  so,  the 
number  and  value  of  the  contributions  to  literature,  to  science,  to  liv- 
ing thought  in  every  department  of  intellectual  activity  which  their 
devoted  sons  have  made.  Take  the  census  of  the  men  and  the  women 
who,  through  the  efforts  of  men  who  were  trained  in  the  old  Log  College 
and  in  the  institutions  which  have  grown  out  of  it,  have  lived  noble 
lives,  died  triumphant  deaths  and  are  enjoying  a  blissful  immortality ; 
and  tell  me,  is  not  the  old  Log  College  which  we  celebrate  a  success? 

Now,  what  is  the  lesson  of  this  celebration  for  Presbyterians  to-day? 
What  does  it  teach  us?  Evidently  this:  multiply  the  log  colleges.  Not 
the  colleges  built  of  logs,  but  the  small  colleges  for  the  education  of  the 
young  under  right  influences  and  pure  principles.  If  Pennsylvania  and 
New  Jersey  could  not  go  to  New  England  to  educate  their  sons  for  the 
reasons  which  we  have  mentioned,  neither  should  Illinois  and  Iowa, 
Kansas  and  Nebraska,  Minnesota  and  Dakota,  come  to  New  Jersey  and 
Pennsylvania.     We  must  take  the  college  to  them. 

One  of  the  wisest  and  most  munificent  givers  of  our  generation  has 
lately  died  in  a  foreign  country  and  his  remains  have  just  been  laid  to 
rest  at  his  home  at  Pittsburgh.  Was  it  chance  or  caprice  or  impulse 
which  led  him  to  make  the  largest  bequest,  among  those  given  to  our 
Church  charities,  to  the  Board  of  Aid  for  colleges  ?  or  had  he  learned 
the  lesson  of  to-day,  and  did  he,  with  wise  forecast,  see  that  if  the 
Church  is  to  be  supplied  with  a  learned  and  a  godly  ministry,  if  the 
community  is  to  be  blessed  by  the  ministrations  of  such  clergy,  and  if 
the  country  is  to  be  saved  from  anarchy  and  Sabbath  desecration  and 
the  horde  of  evils  which  are  crowding  upon  us  from  the  ignorance  and 
the  superstition  and  the  unsanctified  education  of  other  lauds,  we  must 
multiply  the  log  colleges  ? 

I  do  not  undervalue,  nor  would  I  in  any  degree  minimize,  the  influ- 
ence of  our  large  and  flourishing  colleges.  I  would  not  discourage  the 
beneficence  which  seeks  to  enlarge  the  usefulness  of  our  wealthy  insti- 
tutions of  learning,  unless  by  making  the  rich  richer  we  make  the  poor 
poorer.  The  great  university  has  its  place  and  its  sphere.  Give  assur- 
ance to  the  one  and  breadth  to  the  other.  But  let  us  emphasize  the 
lesson  of  the  occasion.  Let  us  catch  the  inspiration  of  the  day.  If  the 
Church  of  our  fathers  is  to  be  perpetuated  in  its  strength  and  in  its 
purity ;  if  a  learned  and  pious  ministry  is  to  continue  as  its  strong 
bulwark  and  sure  defence ;  if  Presbyterianism  is  to  flourish  elsewhere 
as  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey  ;  if  we  would  carry  into  our  newer 
States  the  .safe  and  conservative  influences  which  permeate  society  in 
the  sister  commonwealths  here  represented ; — if,  in  short,  we  would  do 
the  best  for  our  country,  the  Church  and  the  world,  let  us  plant  the 
college  alongside  the  church.     Let  us  carry  a  Christian  education,  as  we 


APPEyDix.  519 

carry  the  gospel,  to  those  who  need  it  and  will  accept  it;  let  us  found 
and  fostor  tlie  modest  but  etlicient  institution  of  sound  learning  wher- 
ever an  intelligent  constituency  will  deniand  or  warrant  it.  From  tliis 
Atlantic  coast  to  tlie  shores  of  the  broail  I'aeific  let  the  policy  and  prac- 
tice of  tiie  fathers  find  their  counterpart  in  the  wise  and  conservative 
action  of  the  present  generation.     AluUiply  the  log  colleges  t  MULTIPLY 

THE   LOO   COLLEGES  1 


The  next  address  was  by  Postmaster-General  Wanaraaker,  who 
received  a  warm  welcome  as  he  stepped  to  the  front  of  the  platform. 
He  said : 

Mr.  Ohairmax  and  Friexds:  It  is  because  I  am  your  neighbor  that 
I  am  honored  to-day  with  a  place  on  your  programme.  Three  months 
ago,  wiien  my  old  and  dear  friend  tiic  Rev.  Dr.  Murphy  invited  me  to 
make  an  address,  I  said  no,  but  that  I  would  endeavor  to  attend,  though 
not  to  speak.  Nevertheless,  the  compliment  is  paid  me  by  your  com- 
mittee of  placing  my  name  on  your  historic  programme,  which  in  itself 
is  a  roll  of  honor.  I  am  too  grateful  to  take  advantage  of  this  to  nuike 
a  long  speech. 

Permit  me  to  say  that  I  share  with  you  in  pride  of  the  good  fortune 
that  fixes  our  homes  close  to  the  Revolutionary  glories  of  Independence 
Hall  and  near  by  the  scenes  of  Gerniantown,  Valley  Forge  and  Nesham- 
iny,  where  the  Log  College  made  its  marlc  in  the  history  of  our  nation. 
A  lowly  s])ot  this  seems,  to  be  the  birthplace  of  the  momentous  move- 
ment tliat  set  in  motion  the  early  educational  life  of  the  land,  but  it  is 
not  the  first  time  that  out  of  obscure  places  streams  of  light  have  shed 
brightness  over  the  land — never  more  so  than  when  the  star  shone  on 
Bethlehem's  plains  and  the  Light  of  the  world  came  with  angelic  songs. 
Centuries  before,  David  came  from  the  hidden  j)astures  with  the  harp 
whose  melody  for  three  thousand  years  has  been  singing  on.  In  later 
days,  Elisha  left  the  plough  for  that  first  day-school  of  the  prophets  of 
which  the  Log  College  was  the  succession. 

When  those  untitled  heroes,  in  whose  ancestry  some  of  you  may  well 
be  proud,  came  nearly  two  centuries  ago  to  this  place  to  lay  the  founda- 
tions for  tlieir  college,  their  path  lay  through  the  shining  gateway  of 
faith  in  God.  The  bush  that  flamed  at  Moses'  feet,  indicating  (iDd's 
presence  with  his  servants,  must  have  glowed  again  before  their  rev- 
erent eyes.  Not  in  their  own  strength  they  came,  neither  were  they 
alone;  for  .roshua  and  Elijah  s])oke  again  through  these  early  teaehers, 
Isaiah  and  Davitl  with  lofty  inspiration  repeated  their  message,  and  the 
apostles  and  martyrs  took  up  the  strain,  and  the  word  of  tiod  had  free 
course  anil  (lod  was  glorific(l  in  tlie  widespread  beneficence  of  the  insti- 
tutions of  learning  that  grew  out  of  this  holy  ministry. 

Few  in  luimber,  not  powerful  nor  rich,  without  stone  or  costly  carv- 
ings, they  built  a  great  cathedral  enduring  as  the  truth,  its  ba.se  and  but- 
tresses, column  and  ca])stone,  a  benediction  to  all  tlie  land.  Not  created 
by  act  of  Parliament  nor  fostered  by  act  of  Congress,  but  in  simple  and 
strong  confidence  in  the  (Jod  whose  Spirit  led  tliem,  they  wrought  this 
work  that  in  the  ages  to  come  will  continue  to  manifest  the  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  its  founders  and  give  glory  to  (Jod. 

I  like  Memorial  Day  that  j)Ut.s  Howcrs  on  the  graves  of  the  nation's 
heroes,  and  I  like  jlie  thought  that  gathers  us  to  kei'p  this  feast  of  cele- 
bration for  the  heroes  of  our  faith.  Wiiile  we  stand  together  to-day  on 
this  high  level,  looking  off  over  the  centuries  at  the  true  men  whoso 


520  APPENDIX. 

work  built  the  institutions  we  are  now  enjoying,  there  comes  to  me,  like 
the  song  of  the  lark,  an  inspiration  that  out  of  other  humble  places  true 
men  may  come  up  with  God's  blessing  to  do  service  in  Church  and  State 
for  themselves  and  coming  generations,  for  which  the  world  will  rLse  up 
and  call  them  blessed. 

Charles  A.  Dickey,  D.  D.,  of  Philadelphia,  read  a  paper  on  "  The 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,"  in  substance  as  follows : 

I  am  asked  to  convey  the  congratulations  of  the  mother-Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia,  and  to  note  that  exchange  of  influence  which  gave  the 
Christian  college  the  fostering  care  of  the  Church,  and  the  Church  the 
never-failing  fruits  of  the  college.  The  college  and  the  Church  have  com- 
mon interests.  Through  mutual  dependence  they  have  come  to  present 
power  and  influence.  We  can  hardly  believe  that  the  humble  Log  College 
whose  memory  has  inspired  our  assemblage,  and  whose  history  calls 
forth  our  homage,  was  the  germ  of  so  many  great  institutions.  And  the 
growth  of  the  Church  is  no  less  marked  or  wonderful.  When  the  col- 
lege was  a  humble  cabin  the  Church  was  a  single  small  Presbytery. 
The  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  has  become  a  glorious  Church,  whose 
borders  are  the  sands  and  rocks  of  the  great  oceans,  whose  Synods  are 
commensurable  with  nearly  half  a  hundred  sovereign  States;  whose 
larger  Presbyteries  occupy  imperial  cities  thronged  with  more  people 
than  composed  the  nation  a  hundred  years  ago.  The  depth  and  breadth 
and  strength  of  the  foundations  laid  by  the  noble  men  whom  we  honor 
to-day  clearly  indicate  that  they  conceived  the  glory  and  greatness  of 
the  edifice  that  should  be  built  by  their  successors.  God's  promises 
were  facts  to  their  faith.  Their  visions  were  their  inspirations.  Our 
inheritance  was  their  hope.  If  our  statistics  show  marvelous  growth, 
let  us  remember  that,  under  God,  we  are  indebted  for  it  all  to  that  noble 
band  of  Christian  ministers  who  stood  at  the  cradle  of  Church  and  State 
and  covenanted  with  God  to  meet  responsibility,  and  to  ensure  the  life 
of  both  by  the  creation  of  an  educated  Christian  ministry.  Our  heritage 
is  the  favor  that  God  has  shown  to  their  fidelity.  More  than  a  million 
strong  in  our  Presbyterian  households ;  represented  by  more  than  six 
thousand  able  ministers  of  the  word ;  our  mi.ssionary  fires  kindled 
around  the  globe;  millions  of  substance  contributed  every  year;  with 
great  seminaries  and  colleges  to  meet  increasing  demands;  the  memo- 
rials of  the  dead  and  the  praise  of  the  living, — this  is  the  triumphal 
arch  under  which  the  procession  of  the  loyal  dead  passes  to-day ; 
this  is  the  monument  upon  which  we  would  inscribe  their  devotion 
to  truth,  to  Christ  and  their  country.  The  Log  College  trained  men  to 
keep  the  liberties  of  the  land  out  of  the  grasp  of  tyrants  and  to  free  the 
gospel  from  the  shackles  of  ignorance  and  unbelief.  To  call  the  roll  of 
the  Log  College  would  be  to  name  the  champions  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty.  To  the  Presbyterian  college  and  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  is 
to  be  credited  a  large  share  of  the  prosperity  and  stability  of  this  free 
Christian  nation.  The  principles  for  which  both  have  contended  have, 
in  a  large  measure,  determined  our  national  greatness.  The  Church  has 
nobly  sustained  the  college,  and  the  college  has  nobly  sustained  the 
Church,  and  both  have  strengthened  the  nation. 

Looking  in  pride  upon  the  children  whom  she  has  nureed  to  greatness, 
the  mother-Presbytery  pays  her  homage  to  the  old  Log  College  which 
contributed  so  much  to  their  growth. 

I  claim  no  gift  of  prophecy,  no  ken  to  reveal  the  future,  but  I  know 
what  I  hope.    I  hope  the  future  may  be  the  past  repeated  more  glori- 


APPEyDIX.  521 

ously.  I  liope  that  no  court  will  divorce  the  old  college  and  the  old 
Church.  I  would  rather  have  the  crown  and  covenant  safe  within  the 
old  logs  than  an  unsanctitied  scholarship  within  marble  walls.  Some 
would  divorce  the  collofie  from  tlie  Church.  There  i»  peril  in  that 
speculation,  which  would  subvert  the  word  of  (iod.  1  believe  the 
Church  will  raise  up  a  ministry  that  will  refuse  to  remove  the  old 
landmarks  or  to  leave  the  old  paths.  The  Church  will  disown  the 
college  that  refuses  to  guide  the  thoughts  of  young  men  by  the  gospel 
of  Christ. 

We  have  reached  a  crisis.  We  have  some  grave  questions  to  consider 
and  settle.  There  may  be  a  few  rough  stones  in  our  foundation  tiial 
may  be  polished  without  great  risk.  Uut  let  us  not  disturb  foundation- 
stones  upon  wliich  we  have  been  building  so  long  and  so  successfully. 
The  grandeur  of  our  temple  should  make  us  content  with  our  foundations. 
We  should  let  alone  a  Confession  whose  belief  and  defence  God  has 
honored  with  such  growth  and  power.  It  will  not  be  safe  to  shift  from 
the  rock  that  luu<  stood  so  many  storms,  and  that  has  shown  itself  such 
a  strong  foundation.  Let  the  work  go  on.  Let  us  finish  the  temple 
upon  tried  fouudatious.  May  both  college  and  Church  be  loyal  to 
Christ  I 

S.  A.  Mutchmore,  D.  D.,  delivered  an  address  on  "  The  Early 
Scotch-Irish  Immigration."     He  said : 

Blood  tells  the  world  over  in  both  goodness  and  badness  :  good  blood 
is  well  mixed  and  in  it  is  the  world's  progress.  The  English-s|)eaking 
world  is  a  grand  mixture.  God  mixed  it  in  suffering  and  stirred  it  up 
with  j)ain.  Tiie  Scotch-Irisii,  whose  sufferings  and  victories  are  being 
celebrated  to-day,  had  their  blood  filtered  and  strengthened  by  persecu- 
tion on  account  of  their  faith  and  their  unquenchable  love  of  civil 
liberty.  The  causes  of  their  dispersion  may  be  briefly  included  under 
three  heads — Popery,  Prelacy  and  Landlordism.  The  tide  of  emigra- 
tion to  America  was  strongest  from  1670  Uy  1680,  occupying  portions 
of  the  territory  of  five  States.  Of  the  character  of  these  settlers  Froude 
says :  "  They  were  of  the  same  metal  as  those  who  afterward  sailed  in 
the  Mayflower — Presbyterians  in  search  of  a  wider  breathing-place  than 
was  allowed  them  at  home.  The  Calvinists  of  Derry  won  immortal 
honor  and  flung  over  the  wretched  annals  of  their  adopted  country  a 
solitary  gleam  of  true  glory.  Even  this  passed  for  nothing;  thev  were 
still  dissenters,  still  unconscious  tiiat  they  owed  obedience  to  the  hybrid 
8Ucces.sors  of  St.  Patrick,  tiie  prelates  of  the  Establishment.  And  no 
sooner  was  the  victory  over  the  papists  gained  than  prelatical  spleen 
and  bigotry  were  at  their  old  work,  until  they  abandoned  the  unthank- 
ful service  and  sought  a  country  where  the  long  arm  of  the  prelacy  was 
still  too  short  to  reach  them." 

At  the  request  of  our  honored  president,  Dr.  Murphy,  we  give  at  this 
point  some  facts  in  history.  About  this  time  seven  families  left  Londou- 
derr\-  in  their  own  ship  and  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware:  the 
Bratlys,  descendants  of  the  first  Protestant  bishop  of  Meath  ;  the  Mc- 
Cunes,  the  Yoimgs,  the  McCombs.the  McCaheys,  the  Jamisons  and  my  own 
paternal  ancestors,  who  allied  themselves  by  marriage  with  the  Hradys 
and  McCunes.  The  McCunes  have  been  statesmen,  ministers,  men  of  posi- 
tion in  Church  and  State.  Almost  within  sight  of  this  place  Col.Thoma.s 
McCune,  a  Revolutionary  hero  and  a  Presbyterian  elder,  wjis  promoted 
by  Washington  for  bravery  in  saving  the  remnant  of  the  troops  at  the 
battle  of  Crooked  Billet,  where  stands  a  mouumeut  erected  by  the  grate- 


522  APPENDIX. 

ful  citizens  of  this  country.  The  Bradys  were  a  long  line  of  brave  men, 
of  which  were  General  Hugh  Brady  of  Revolutionary  memory  and 
Captain  Sam  Brady  the  famous  Indian  fighter. 

Tlie  men  from  Scotland  and  the  North  of  Ireland  laid  the  foundations 
of  a  half-dozen  commonwealths.  A  nobler  race  never  trod  the  earth — 
freer,  truer  or  more  heroic  never  served  God  nor  honored  a  great  country 
— men  who  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible,  who  could  stand  on 
their  principles,  and  on  their  legs  for  their  principles.  It  is  fashionable 
in  some  quarters  to  denounce  Presbyterian  Puritanism.  The  greatest 
of  the  world  have  always  had  to  endure  the  reproach  of  the  meanest. 
It  is  a  crime  to  be  above  mediocrity.  Men  attempt  to  be  witty  at  the 
expense  of  those  who  conceived  and  built  up  a  country  without  a  king 
and  a  Church  without  a  bishop.  Of  such  is  the  strength  of  a  people, 
resistless  by  self-denials  rather  than  forsake  their  religion.  They  were 
men  not  only  of  opinions,  but  of  formulated  ideas,  who  could  give  a 
reason  for  their  beliefs  as  clear  and  concise  as  a  demonstration  in  Eu- 
clid. It  is  by  some  regarded  as  a  reproach  that  they  taught  their  chil- 
dren the  Catechism,  as  if  it  had  weakened  their  minds.  More  minds 
are  for  ever  weak  for  want  of  such  mental  and  moral  distension.  It  is 
also  fashionable  to  denounce  their  extempore  prayers  into  which  they 
wove  the  events,  joyous  or  sorrowful,  of  every  day,  which  gave  signif- 
icance and  sacredness  to  each  commonplace.  Such  prayers  kept  glow- 
ing the  fires  of  devotion  and  raised  the  spirit  of  patriotism  when  the 
country  was  in  danger.  It  is  said  that  the  sermons  were  long,  and  we 
would  not  dishonor  them  by  denying  it.  They  were  long,  but  not 
tedious  when  men  craved  knowledge  and  had  not  the  resources  of  the 
printed  page.     Minds  and  souls  were  enlightened  from  the  pulpit. 

Presbyterian  Puritans  had  two  cardinal  principles:  faith  in  the  abso- 
lute will  of  God,  and  in  the  absolute  equality  of  all  who  love  and  obey 
him,  and  this  faith  made  our  ancestors  men  of  endurance,  obedient  until 
obedience  became  a  crime,  when  they  were  ready  to  fight  until  con- 
quering or  conquered.  But  they  were  withal  tolerant ;  they  burned  no 
witches,  caused  no  exiles  on  account  of  conscience.  They  were  perse- 
cuted, but  never  caught  the  Satanic  inspiration.  They  strove  for  their 
own  elevation  and  that  of  the  race,  and  their  graves  are  on  all  our  coun- 
try's battle-fields.  In  the  victories  of  peace  they  are  illustrious.  They 
brought  the  love  of  learning  with  them,  and  desired  it  for  their  children. 
They  began  with  the  determination  not  to  have  an  ignorant  ministry, 
and  in  this  they  lead  the  host.  Wealth  has  been  to  them  a  means  to  a 
better  end.  Our  ancestors  have  been  loyal  to  God,  to  country,  to  the 
race  and  to  the  sublime  hope  of  a  world  redeemed  for  Christ. 

The  hymn  "  Glory  and  Praise  and  Honor,"  read  by  Rev.  W.  A. 
Patton  of  Doylestown,  was  sung. 

J.  H.  Mason  Knox,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  president  of  Lafayette  College, 
delivered  an  address  on  "  Lafayette  College  :" 

Amid  the  thronging  memories  and  suggestions  of  this  scene  and  hour 
it  is  easy  te  speak  of  Lafayette,  a  spiritual  child  of  Log  College. 

In  1726  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tennent  instituted  the  school  of  the  prophets 
whose  record  we  recount  to-day  so  lovingly  and  gratefully.  To  this  he 
was  moved  by  the  needs  of  his  own  sons  and  the  desire  to  be  useful  in 
furnishing  for  the  Church  he  loved  a  godly  and  faithful  ministry. 

Just  a  hundred  years  later  the  legislature  of  Pennsylvania  granted 
articles  of  incorporation  for  a  new  college,  to  be  called  by  the  name  of 


APPESDIX.  523 

America's  friend  in  her  time  of  need,  the  marquis  de  Lafayette,  who  two 
years  before  had  made  a  triumphal  tour  tlirough  the  land  which  he  had 
helped  so  greatly  by  his  sword  anil  purse  to  wrest  itself  from  the  oppres- 
sions of  Great  Britain.  For  some  time  the  collejje  existed  only  on  Jtaper, 
but  in  1881  the  trustees  elected  to  the  presidency  the  Kev.  George 
Junkin,  then  at  the  head  of  a  manual-labor  school  in  (iermantown. 
This  election  was  accepted,  chietly  because  Dr.  Junkin  believed  that  it 
opened  to  him  a  field  in  which  to  carry  successfully  into  effect  the  work 
to  which  he  had  devoted  his  life — viz.  to  |)repare  godly  young  men  of 
promising  abilities,  poor  in  this  world's  goods,  f(jr  the  gospel  ministry. 
Sjo,  across  the  hundred  years  tlint  sei)arated  their  lives,  William  Tennent 
and  George  .Junkin  struck  iiands.  They  were  both  men  of  strong  per- 
sonality. Of  the  same  iScotch-Irish  stock,  men  of  force  and  learning, 
their  characteristic  was  their  intense  conviction  of  truth  and  absolute 
devotion  to  the  work  of  furnishing  to  the  Church  a  ministry  well  in- 
structed and  truly  spiritual.  Valiantly  and  with  great  success  Dr. 
Junkin  wrought  in  the  field  allotted  to  him,  and  from  feeble  beginnings 
Lafayette  became  a  power  in  the  land.  After  Dr.  Junkin's  removal 
from  the  presidency  the  college  had  a  period  of  ^lepression  and  fitful 
life,  but  in  spite  of  "this  it  conlirmed  to  do  good  work,  and  under  Yeo- 
mans,  McLean  and  McPhail  maintained  well  tlie  character  impressed 
upon  it  by  the  genius  and  devotion  of  its  first  i)resident.  Then  with 
the  accession  of  President  Cattcll  came  revival  and  enlargement.  Dr. 
Oattell  brought  to  his  duties  fine  intelligence,  unbounded  enthusiasm, 
rare  tad  and  tireless  effort.  He  interested  in  the  college  men  of  wealth, 
specially  Mr.  Ario  Pardee,  and  by  the  means  thus  afforded  him  he  was 
enabled,  without  (U>parting  in  the  lejist  from  the  original  thought  and 
design  of  the  institution,  to  add  to  it  a  very  complete  scientific  depart- 
ment. And  so  it  is  that  for  years  pa.st  Lafayette,  while  continuing,  a.s 
from  the  beginning  she  has  done,  to  scud  out  men  into  the  older  j)ro- 
fe.ssions  and  callings,  theology,  law  and  medicine,  has  also  prepared  her 
sons  a.s  educated  men  to  take  up  iis  their  life-work  the  j)ursuit.s  which 
require  training  in  scientific  technics.  I  count  it  joy  to-day  that  I  pre- 
side over  a  college  whose  sons  are  distinguishing  themselves  in  law  and 
medicine,  whose  names  are  pronounced  with  respect  in  the  busy  work- 
shops of  the  land,  and  which  at  the  same  time  has  not  diminished  in  the 
leiust  her  zeal  in  i)rci)aring  for  the  Church  well-instructed  and  godly 
men  to  serve  in  the  ministry — that  to-day  nearly  one-third  of  her  grad- 
uates in  the  arts  are  devoted  to  the  best  of  all  callings  in  which  man  can 
engage.  Lafayette's  ministers  are  about  me  on  this  platform  and  within 
the  reiich  of  my  voice,  and  they  are  men  to  whom  she  proudly  ]>oint.s  a.s 
her  jewels.  They  are  found  in  every  .Synod,  and  almost  in  every  Pres- 
bytery, in  our  Church.  Many  are  in  other  churches — Methodist.  Re- 
formed, Lutheran,  E[)iscopal,  I5a])tist — men  well  behaved  and  highly 
esteemed.  More  than  one  hundred  at  this  hour  are  engaged  in  the  fn)n- 
tier  settlements  of  our  land  laying  there  the  solid  foundations  of  empire, 
while  in  all  foreign-mission  countries  their  voices  are  heard  preaching 
the  gospel  of  salvation,  and  so  hastening  the  day  of  the  Lord. 

And  whence  comes  all  this?  What  was  it  that  moved  Tennent  to  the 
humble  endeavor  out  of  which  have  come  the  results  so  rejoieingly 
rehearsed  during  these  hours?  It  was  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  He 
stirred  the  soul  of  the  old  preacher  of  righteousne.s-s  to  build  the  I>og 
College.  He  buildcd  better  than  he  knew.  The  Log  (.'oUege  wsw  the 
forerunner  of  Princeton  in  New  .Tersey,  of  Hampden-Sidney  in  Virginia, 
of  Washington  and  Jeflerson,  and  Lafayette  in  Pennsylvania.  These 
certainly  the  Log  College  can  claim  as  her  children,  as  begotten  of  her 


524  APPENDIX. 

through  the  same  divine  Spirit  which  gave  to  her  her  life  and  power. 
And  if  we  who  are  here  present  are  here  in  good  faith,  appreciating 
the  spirit  of  this  celebration,  then  will  we  see  to  it  that  these  institu- 
tions, so  evidently  given  to  us  by  the  grace  and  loving-kindness  of  our 
own  and  our  fathers'  God,  have  our  sympathy  and  help — that  they  may 
continue  their  benedictions  upon  country  and  Church  till  time  shall  be 
no  longer. 

The  following  original  hymn,  composed  and  read  by  Thomas 
MacKellar,  was  then  sung  by  the  choir  and  audience: 

Strength  of  our  fathers  in  the  day 
Thou  didst  thy  saving  grace  display, 
We  glorify  and  worship  thee, 
O  Lord,  in  hymns  of  jubilee. 

A  house  for  thee  they  builded  well : 
Though  humblest  in  all  Israel, 
Yet  thou  didst  sanctify  as  thine 
The  prophets'  school  of  love  divine. 

A  grain  of  mustard-seed  was  sown ; 
Nurtured  of  thee,  a  tree  hath  grown 
Whose  branches  overspread  the  land, 
Till  thousands  in  its  shadow  stand. 

Its  fruits  are  knowledge,  life  and  light — 
Knowledge  of  thee  so  clear,  so  bright, 
That  he  whose  soul  with  truth  is  rife 
Shall  find  in  Christ  eternal  life. 

That  tree,  of  verdure  fresh  and  fair. 
While  mountains  stand  shall  fruitage  bear, 
And  in  the  garden  of  the  Lord 
Perennial  blessings  shall  afford. 

Jehovah-jireh !  we  adore 
The  Lord  whose  grace  provided  more 
Than  they  foreknew  who  sowed  in  tears, 
And  reaped  in  joy  in  after  years. 

Glory  to  God !  our  voices  sing ; 
Glory  to  God !  our  praise  we  bring ; 
Glory  to  God  !  let  all  men  cry ; 
Glory  to  God  !  let  heaven  reply. 

Dr.  McCosh,  the  venerable  ex-president  of  Princeton  College, 
■was  unable  to  be  present,  and  sent  the  following  letter  of  regret, 
•which  was  read  by  Dr.  McCloskey  of  Princeton  College : 

MoosEHEAD  Lake,  Maine,  August  28,  1889. 
To  Rev.  Dk.  Murphy  : 

My  Dear  Friend — Thank  God  I  am  nearly  restored  to  my  usual  health, 
but  my  doctor  will  not  allow  me  to  go  down  the  country  until  the  cool 
weather  comes  in.     I  cannot  tell  how  much  I  regret  that  I  am  not  able 


APPENDIX.  525 

to  take  part  in  your  commemoration.  The  Log  College  was  a  well 
among  the  hills  from  which  a  great  and  beneficent  stream  has  risen. 
The  Log  men,  the  Tennents  and  Blairs,  were  heroes,  and  it  is  due  to  them 
and  for  our  good  to  keep  alive  their  memories. 

It  has  not  been  sufficiently  noticed  by  liistorians,  .such  as  Macaulay, 
that  there  was  a  difference  between  the  Puritan  and  Covenanting  ty])e 
of  Christianity.  The  Puritans  contended  nobly  for  liberty  and  the  rights 
of  the  individual.  The  Covenanters  were  not  satisfied  without  a  common 
creed  and  joint  action ;  they  formed  themselves  into  Presbyteries  and 
proclaimed  a  solemn  League  and  Covenant,  grand  in  everything  except 
that  it  did  not  contain  a  doctrine  of  toleration.  The  Puritans  in  Kng- 
land  had  no  bond  of  union  and  were  scattered,  though  they  have  a  fit 
representation  in  the  Congregational  churches  of  New  England.  The 
Covenanting  spirit  is  embodied  in  the  Presbyterian  ciiurches  all  over 
the  world.  It  has  been  one  of  tlie  greatest  privileges  of  my  life  that  I 
was  enabled  in  Philadelphia  to  start  that  Presbyterian  Alliance,  which 
is  yet  destined  to  bring  tliem  into  closer  visible  union. 

Before  the  older  Tennent  established  his  school  in  the  log  cabin  the 
Presbyterians  were  somewhat  scattered  ami  had  no  college  to  train  their 
young  men.  They  had  to  depend  on  Old  England  and  New  England  for 
an  ordained  ministry.  The  college  in  the  wilderness  insisted  on  two 
great  principles  :  on  a  native  ministry  and  an  educated  ministry.  This 
led  indirectly  to  the  establishment  of  the  college  at  Princeton  to  give 
high  instruction  both  in  religious  and  secular  knowledge.  The  whole 
work  was  watered  by  Whiteheld  and  the  revivals  which  followe<l  his 
preaching.  The  great  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  Middle  States  became 
consolidated  with  its  sound  creed,  its  wisely-constructed  polity  and  it.s 
educated  ministry.  If  that  Church,  so  well  organized  with  its  theological 
seminaries,  had  more  of  the  zeal  of  what  I  may  describe  as  its  John-the- 
Baptist  forerunners,  it  would  spread  into  every  district  of  our  country 
and  over  all  lands.  We  of  Princeton  College  and  we  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  arc  not  in  our  prosperity  ashamed  of  our  poor  but  noble  ancestry. 
I  am  glad  beyond  measure  to  hear  that  you,  doctor,  are  to  give  us  a  his- 
tory of  the  period  and  thereby  transmit  a  picture  of  it  to  instruct  and 
inspire  future  generations.     Yours, 

James  McCosh. 

The  Hon.  Henry  Chapmnn  of  Doylestown  wa.s  also  unable  to  be 
present.   His  letter  was  read  by  Rev.  A.  A.  Murjihy  of  Philadelphia : 

Frosterly,  Doylestown  P.  O.,  Penna.,  August  28, 1889. 
The  Rev.  Thomas  Murphy,  D.  D.  : 

Dear  Sir — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the  invita- 
tion to  attend  the  exerci.^es  commemorative  of  the  founding  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  the  United  States,  to  be  held  on  the  site  of  the  old 
Log  College,  near  Hartsvillc,  on  the  5th  of  September  next,  and  also  your 
complimentary  request  that  I  will  occupy  a  .seat  on  the  platform,  for 
which  I  beg  you  to  accc|)t  my  sincere  thanks.  I  regret  to  say,  however, 
that  owing  to  physical  infirmities  I  cannot  be  present  on  the  interesting 
occasion  :  otherwise  I  shoidd  be  much  gratified  to  witness  the  ceremonies 
and  to  unite  with  the  many  who  will  be  there  to  signalize  the  important 
event  and  do  iionor  to  the  memory  of  the  learned  and  good  men  who 
erected  the  humble,  though  pregnant  with  vast  result.-*,  prototype  of 
hundreds  of  religious  edifices  throughout  the  land,  and,  like  it,  fostered 
by  and  kindred  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  I  am  with  much  regard, 
very  truly  yours,  '  Uexky  CuaI'MAX. 


526  APPENDIX. 

Letters  of  regret  were  also  received  from  the  Rev.  Francis 
Brown,  Ph.D.,  D.  D.,  of  Union  Seminary,  the  Rev.  R.  B.  Welch, 
D.  D.,  of  Auburn  Seminary,  General  Horatio  G.  Sickel,  Ex-Senator 
Horatio  Gates  Jones  and  George  H.  Stuart,  Esq.  The  venerable 
Dr.  J.  Witherspoon  Scott  closed  the  exercises  with  a  few  exceed- 
ingly interesting  remarks  concerning  his  family  connection  with 
the  Log-College  neighborhood  and  his  interest  in  thus  revisiting 
its  historic  scenes. 

"  Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow  "  was  sung,  and  the 
benediction  was  pronounced  by  Dr.  Scott. 

Thus  closed  a  day  long  anticipated  and  thoroughly  enjoyed, 
whose  exercises,  we  humbly  pray,  may  redound  to  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  upbuilding  of  our  beloved  Zion. 

EICHAKD   MONTGOMEEY. 


